SECOND OOPY, 
I8b9. 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

Chap._____^<fyyri^Oo 

Shelf..„i„H .? 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



The Ordination of Woman to the 
Pastorate in Baptist Churshes, 



Pastor Jesse A. Hungate, 



AUTHOR OF 



'JEHOVAH WORSHIP, 
SUPREME," ETC. 



'THE NAME 




James B. Grant, 
UNIVERSITY BOOK STOR1 
Hamilton, N. Y. 



? 



&1b 



38149 

Entered according- to Act of Congress, in the year 

1899, by Jesse A. Hungate, in the Office of 

the Librarian of Congress, at 

Washington. 



^QP< 



( 



' >9 I 



Ms^fer of C 






TO 

MY WIFE AND MY MOTHER, 

WHO HAVE LABORED MUCH IN THE LORD, 

THE LATTER FOR OVER FORTY YEARS 

IN A PARSONAGE IN THE DISTANT WEST, 

THE FORMER FOR THESE FIFTEEN YEARS 

IN A PARSONAGE IN THIS STATE, 

DIVIDING BURDENS AND MULTIPLYING JOYS, 

COUNTING IT ALL JOY 

TO DO THE LORD'S WORK IN THE LORD'S WAY 

THESE PAGES ARE AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED. 

THE AUTHOR. 
HOMER, N. Y., JUNE, 1899. 



CONTENTS 



Chapter I. The Pastor 1 

Sec. 1. The Unique Official 1 

Sec. 2. The Exemplar 4 

Sec. 3. The Teacher 7 

Sec. 4. The Ruler 12 

Chapter II. Extra-Scriptural Considerations 21 

Sec. 1. An Anomalous Social Order 29 

Sec. 2. The Constitutional Protest 39 

Sec. 3. The V/itness of Experience 51 

Chapter III. Scriptural Considerations 61 

Sec. 1. The Unsympathetic Scriptures 61 

Sec. 2. The Requisite Qualifications, Absent.. .68 

Sec. 3. The Scriptural Prohibition 71 

Chapter IV. Under Cross-Examination 80 

Chapter V. The Symposium 100 



PREFACE. 



The question which this essay undertakes 
to consider has been removed from the 
realm of the merely theoretical and hypo- 
thetical propositions. We may not brush it 
aside by assuming such an excess of virtue 
in distinctively utilitarian efforts that we 
have no time to give to purely theoretical 
questions; for whether we shall ordain wom- 
an to the pastorate or not has ceased to be 
a purely theoretical conception. The ap- 
pearance of but one woman demanding or- 
dination and precipitating the question up- 
on a council so that believers must sit in 
judgment upon it makes it as really a prac- 
tical question as if there were a thousand 
cases in which woman was clamoring for 
recognition as bishop, at the hands of their 
brethren. More than one case has arisen 
among our churches and others are immi- 



X PREFACE. 

nent. The author's thoughts were focused 
upon the question through being invited by 
a church to sit in council with brethren 
from other churches to consider the propri- 
ety of ordaining a woman to the pastorate 
of a Baptist church. He had his own con- 
victions of scriptural order, but desired to 
know the mind of his brethren in the min- 
istry. Accordingly a correspondence was 
instituted which appears at the close of the 
essay. In the replies which were sent him 
there were very many requests that the 
results of the correspondence might be put 
in such form as to be available. A paper 
discussing the ordination of woman was 
prepared by the author and read at several 
ministerial conferences. There were also 
requests that this might be given such a 
form that others could read it. The paper, 
rewritten and enlarged, has been given the 
form in which it herewith appears. This 
is the author's only apology for its publica- 
tion. His hope is that this somewhat pio- 
neer effort in this field, so far as the Bap- 
tist denomination is concerned, may, per- 
haps, provoke from some one the final word 
upon this question which will lead us to 



PREFACE. XI 

know just what is the mind of the Spirit. 

The scope of the essay does not contem- 
plate a discussion as to what is the scriptu- 
ral conception of an ordination, but for 
present purposes accepts that which is com- 
monly understood by all our people in speak- 
ing of an ordination. 

Those participating in the symposium are 
in no measure to be held accountable for 
any opinion advanced in the body of the 
essay. The author alone is chargable with 
these. The others assume no responsibility 
except for that which appears directly un- 
der their respective names. 



THE ORDINATION 
OF WOMAN TO THE PASTORATE, 



CHAPTER I. THE PASTOR. 

SECTION 1. THE UNIQUE OFFICIAL. 

The position of the christian pastor is a 
unique, revealed and synthetic one. The 
wrecks and reminders of human organiza- 
tions and institutions discover to the stu- 
dent of history nothing which, in relation 
and intensity, at all approaches the pastoral 
attitude. This age of multiplied and unpar- 
alleled organization is barren of a just type 
of the pastor. He is not an evolution of 
men's thinking, devising and aspiring; not 
the creature of the circumstances by which 
he may be environed; not the product of his 
age, or any age, or, indeed, of all ages com- 



2 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

billed. His status is a revealed and divinely 
appointed one. When the ascending con- 
quering Christ entered the opened heavens 
leading captivity captive he gave to men 
gifts, namely: apostles, prophets, evangel- 
ists, pastors and teachers(Eph. 4:11). These 
places are preeminently of Christly assign- 
ment, and the divine element here empha- 
sized concerns itself as much with the insti- 
tution of the office named, as it does with 
the personal call of the individual by Christ 
to the holy position, and the gift by our 
Lord of such a person to the church. For 
while the Ephesian Epistle magnifies the 
person in Christ, the letter to the church 
at Corinth(I Cor. 12:28) lays emphasis upon 
the official position. God has spoken from 
heaven, through his holy men as they were 
moved by the Spirit, and fixed unalterably 
the pastoral position. By this it is differ- 
entiated from every other position; from 
this fact alone it derives its supreme impor- 
tance; with this element absent it degene- 
rates to a mere place of leadership; in this 
divine element its uniqueness consists. 

This unique office is a synthesis of many 
enduements. It has distinct gifts, functions 



THE UNIQUE OFFICIAL. 3 

and prerogatives which are clearly definable 
and distinguishable and which, at times, 
are individually prominent, so prominent 
that the other gifts are, for the moment, 
lost from the mind. Indeed, so distinct are 
these endowments that some of them may 
be possessed and exercised by those not in 
the pastoral office. But for the pastoral 
office there must of necessity be a vital in- 
working and living assimilation of each of 
the gifts. The pastor is the product of the 
synthesis of all of these. If a single endue- 
ment is absent no real or apparent combina- 
tion of the other gifts can possibly eventu- 
ate in the christian pastor. Any attempt 
at such a result is unwarranted in its effort 
and abortive in its issue. 



SECTION 2. THE EXEMPLAR. 

However long may be the catalogue 
of the enduements of the pastor, and they 
are very many, they yet all subject them- 
selves to the three-fold aspect under which 
the pastor is presented to as in the sacred 
writings. These introduce him under the 
example aspect, as being one who should 
exhibit the type and model of christian as- 
piration and conduct. The pastor must 
stand out a distinct representative of the 
Master to whom he and his people must be 
conformed. The explicit directions given 
to Timothy (I Tim. 3:1-5) with reference to 
the individual habits, mental characteristics 
and moral and spiritual qualities of the in- 
cumbent of the pastoral office imply that he 
is to be a pattern unto all believers. He is 
expected to be an honest type of just what 
Jesus can do for, in and by a soul which 
wholly surrenders itself to him to be by him 
owned and operated. This continual imi- 
tation of Jesus will gradually work in him 



THE EXEMPLAR. 5 

a more salutary influence and open before 
him one of the true conduits of pastoral 
authority. The dictum of Athanasius was 
"the life should command, and the tongue 
persuade. " But an authority infinitely high- 
er than this pious "father of orthodoxy" 
represents the pastor under the figure of a 
shepherd. The oriental shepherd invariably 
preceeded the flock to those places whither 
he would have them come. He is, therefore, 
by inference to be the one who may safely 
be copied. Paul witnessing to his own pas- 
toral p333ibilities testifies "I obtained mercy 
that in me first Christ Jesus might show 
forth all longsuff ering, for a pattern to them 
which should hereafter believe on him to 
life everlasting" (I Tim. 1:16). His admoni- 
tion to the pastors at Ephesus was that they 
"take heed unto themselves" (Acts 20:28), 
and his general charge to pastors requires 
that the "bishop be blameless" (I Tim. 3:2). 
Peter exhorts the pastors of the churches 
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia and 
other Asiatic provinces to be "en samples to 
the flock" (I Pet. 5:3). Paul, speaking for 
himself and pastor Timothy, justifies a cer- 
tain conduct on the ground that it was in 



6 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

the divine plan that they, as elders, should 
make themselves "an en sample unto you 
to follow us'' (II Thes. 3:9). The same apos- 
tle in his word of counsel and admonition 
to Titus charges him that in all things he 
should show himself "a pattern of good 
works" (Titus 2:7), and in his address to 
Timothy admonishes him to be "an exam- 
ple of the believers" (I Tim. 4:12). So that 
however exacting and attractive might be 
the official and public duties of the pastor, 
he was never to allow these to displace pri- 
vate spiritual culture and heart piety. 



SECTION 3. THE TEACHER. 

The pastor is also presented under the 
aspect of a teacher. His divine Lord was the 
great teacher, and in this supreme grace 
the pastor is to be a follower of him who 
hath called him from servitude to freedom. 
The example aspect foreshadows the teach- 
ing function. The Master's farewell word 
to the apostles as he left them gazing from 
Olivet after him whom the opening heavens 
were receiving was "go, teach;" an injunc- 
tion which they were to commit to all whom 
they should, directly or indirectly, lead in- 
to official position in the body which was 
then being called out. 

The apostle to the Gentiles reasons with 
the brethren at Corinth that among the be- 
stowments of God upon the body of Christ, 
in furtherance of the divine plan of cement- 
ing that body into mutual sympathy and 
effort, as also in the fitting of it for its 
largest servicefulness, is the setting of some 
in the position of teachers (I Cor. 12:28). 



8 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

To the Ephesian Christians he reiterates the 
the same pro vid mtial provision, intimating 
that directly connected with his gloiicus 
anabasis, as a kind of cause and effect, was 
the impartation of gifts unto his brethren, 
among which he enumerates "teachers" 
(Eph. 4:11). In his communication of coun- 
sel to his "own son in the faith," who had 
uotV beco.ni pastor of the church in Ephe- 
sus, Paul twice urges upon him the import- 
ance and duty of "teaching" (I Tim. 4:11; 
6:2). The testimony that there is a divine 
call to the pastor to exercise the teaching 
function is explicit and abundant. 

The incidental lights which the scriptures 
throw upon the pastoral functions imply 
that he will exercise himself in didactics. 
His specific qualifications are with a view 
to that; for it is required of a bishop that 
he be "apt to teach"(I Tim. 3:2). For the 
largest fruit fulness in his ministry it is im- 
perative that he have skill in opening the 
word, and bringing it to bear for all its uses 
on the wants of men. 

That the pastor is to be a teacher is clear- 
ly in the mind of the Holy Spirit; for when 
directing Paul to instruct the Ephesians as 



THE TEACHER. 9 

to what were the ends and purposes for 
which the "gifts" were bestowed upon men, 
he records, among other things, that all 
this was "for the edifying," or better, "the 
building up" "of the body of Christ" (Eph. 
4:12). la this "building up" process the 
number of believers must be increased, 
member fitly joined to member and the spir- 
itual life of each broadened and intensified 
that there may be a real foundation for a 
clear conception of their mission, and a de- 
finite application of themselves to the great 
work which Jesus undertook when he came 
to seek and to save the lost. There is to be 
a promotion of unity of faith and common 
knowledge of the Son of God, and a protec- 
tion of the church from being driven about, 
through childish fickleness, by every "wind 
of doctrine." But this is to be secured as 
men teach the truth in love; especially "the 
truth as it is in Jesus." 

If there were a lingering suspicion as to 
the pastor's prerogative to be a didactician, 
or the importance of the teaching function, 
that suspicion should be dissipated when we 
remember that preaching is made the sub- 
ject of that solemn and awful abjuration in 



10 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

the apostle's charge to Timothy: k 'I charge 
thee therefore before God, and the Lord Je- 
sus Christ, who shall judge the quick and 
the dead at his appearing and kingdom; 
preach the word" (II Tim. 4:1-2). He is 
regularly and rationally to unfold the great 
doctrines of grace. He must present an 
authoritative standard of conduct. God 
must be brought into connection with life 
and proper feelings toward him awakened. 
Revealed views of truth are to be proclaim- 
ed, faith laid down as the primal condition 
of salvation and God set forth as the only 
Savior of men. The pastor is to 4i feed the 
church of God." The significance of this 
direction may not be exhausted when it is 
admitted that the pastor is privileged to 
furnish nourishment for the body of believ- 
ers; the passage plainly places this obliga- 
tion upon him. It is only divine truth which 
will nourish and develope spiritual life. He 
must, therefore, be a man who, under the 
guidance of the Holy Spirit, searches the 
Scriptures and meditates thereon; who uses 
his wisest judgment as to the application 
of the great principles of revealed truth, 
and who gathers from this application the 



THE TEACHER. 11 

instruction which is to be given in all that 
concerns the nature of true piety, the dan- 
gers to be guarded against and the duties 
to be faithfully discharged. 

The important function of teaching, while 
a marked feature, was yet not distinctively 
characteristic of the pastoral or the apos- 
tolic office. Apostles and prophets were 
teachers by divine authority, still they were 
not necessarily pastors. Pastors taught, but 
this did not qualify them as apostles. Teach- 
ing may be a divine gift not necessitating 
the pastoral office to exercise it, and not 
arguing a divine call to the pastorate though 
the teaching powers may be marked and 
effective. 



SECTION 4. THE RULER. 

A third aspect of the pastor presented in 
the scriptures is that he was a person pos- 
sessing ruling obligations and privileges. 
His rulership is exhibited from many differ- 
ent sides and with varying degrees of in- 
tensity. 

The feeding of the flock which the elders 
of Ephesus were bidden of Paul to do was 
more properly a shepherding. Foimaino y 
the designating term, has as much reference 
to the function of guidance and government 
as it has to the mere furnishing of the flock 
with wholesome food (Acts 20:28). It is the 
same term by which the prerogative of our 
Savior is named in "out of thee shall come 
a Governor which shall rule my people Isra- 
el" (Matt. 2:6); as well as the word which 
inspiration siezes to describe the prerogative 
acquired by Christ, the conquering one, of 
whom it is affirmed "he shall rule the na- 
tions with a rod of iron" (Rev. 12:5). The 
feeding implies a kind of authority over. 



THE RULER. 13 

The pastor is held up before us as one 
upon whom is incumbent the duty of pre- 
siding — proistemi — (I Thes.5:12) over cer- 
tain deliberations, and directing certain ac- 
tivities. He is to be the President of the 
assemblies of the believers; the chairman of 
their various church meetings. Decorum 
and method were, by him, to be preserved; 
for all things must be done "decently and 
in order." The attention and efforts of the 
church must be kept upon the matters in 
hand that wisest counsels may prevail, and 
not be thwarted by diverted thought and 
distracted attention; and that there be a 
concentration of energies to avoid a waste 
of force. Consideration and effort must also 
be directed to new questions and work when 
the given matters are finished. This respon- 
sibility and duty fell to the presidents. Such 
were expected to be diligent in the exercise 
of this function (Rom. 12:8). Marked effect- 
iveness in this line of activity made the men 
worthy of a double honor (I Tim. 5:17), and 
the Thessalonian brethren are solicited by 
Paul to become familiar and intimate with 
their presiding officers that they may be 
able duly to value, appreciate and esteem 



14 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

them (I Thes. 5:12). 

The christian church grew up out from a 
Jewish environment. From a nomenclature 
familiar to the Israelites has been taken a 
term with which to designate another side 
of official leadership in the congregation of 
believers. That personage is styled presbn- 
teros — an elder. That the church organiza- 
tion might not be defective and lacking Paul 
directs Titus to see that elders are ordained 
in each church in Crete (Titus 1 :5). 

The term elder primarily denoted age and 
gravity. It was expected of the incumbent 
of the office that his life would exhibit some- 
thing of thoughtfulness, sobriety, unworld- 
liness and wisdom, as is implied in the title 
by which he is designated. Gradually the 
term lost its merely linguistic significance 
and took on a technical and official import. 
The youthful Timothy and the aged John 
were each "elders. " 

The eldership early existed in the Judean 
churches (Acts 11:30). The christians in 
Antioch took a collection for the destitute 
believers in Judea during the great famine 
under Claudius Caesar, and forwarded it to 
the elders of the churches there who were 



THE RULER. 15 

to act as the almoners of their bounty. This 
would appear to necessitate the fact that at 
this time a measure of administrative au- 
thority was exercised by these brethren in 
the churches. Daring their first missiona- 
ry tour Paul and Barnabas instituted the 
office and caused it to be filled with some 
brother in every church which they organ- 
ized (Acts 14:23). The energies of the elders 
were necessary to the continued activities 
and growth of those churches. 

Elders were associated with Paul in the 
discussion and adjudication of certain per- 
plexing questions which disturbed the Gen- 
tile as well as the Jewish christians up in 
Syria. The conclusion of the church at An- 
tioch to refer their differences to the elders 
at Jerusalem implies that there was an un- 
derstanding among the churches that the 
elders had, at least, a kind of advisory su- 
pervision of matters of this nature (Acts 15: 
2). The willingness with which the elders 
received these messengers and the prompt- 
ness with which they formally assembled to 
consider their questions evince a concurrence 
upon the part of the elders in the judgment 
of that church as to their prerogatives in 



16 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

the matter (Acts 15:4, 6). And the settle- 
ment of the differences by the recommen- 
dation and adoption of measures advised by 
the elders at Jerusalem would seem to ne- 
cessitate a measure of authority in judgment 
which was possessed and exercised by the 
eldership (Acts 15:31). 

The findings of that council were farther- 
reaching than simply the advising of a com- 
promise over the matters which were occa- 
sioning differences in the Antiochean fold. 
Those deliverances take the form of decrees 
or dogmas which are equally binding upon 
balie vers everywhere (Acts 16:1). The elders 
consequently had the authority to partici- 
pate in the interpretation of gospel truth as 
it effected conduct. For after we have made 
due allowance for the inspirational element 
as determining the authoritative feature of 
the decrees formulated by that council, pres- 
ent by reason of the fact that apostles were 
among those who constituted it, there still 
remains a large residuum of responsibility 
and authority to be credited to the elders, 
and which is an earnest of the larger place 
which is to be assigned them in their sphere 
as the purposes of God ripen in human his- 



THE RULER. 17 

tory. This prerogative was recognized by 
the churches, and with increasing import- 
ance and value as the apostles complete 
th3ir special work and disappear from the 
church upon earth, and the interpretation 
of the elders comes to be accepted with a 
measure of finality. 

The process of laying on of hands, by 
which the Elders were inducted into their 
functions and office (Acts 8:15^17; I Tim. 4: 
14; II Tim. 1:6), was a customary symbol- 
ism by which there was a recognition of 
special place and dignity, and by which was 
implied a measure of authority already ex- 
isting but which it was desired expressively: 
to publish. Jehovah commanded Moses to 
tike Joshua (Num. 27:18, 23), "a man in 
whom is the spirit" and lay his "hands up- 
on him*'-, that he might be symbolically set 
forth as the authoritative leader of Israel. 

The province of the elder, then, seems to 
have been the interpretation of the. princi- 
ples, the administration of the laws laid 
down by Christ fur the government of the 
church, and the general superintendence of 
the affairs of the congregation over which 
he had been providentially called. 



18 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

At a later point in the unfolding of the 
divine ecclesiasticism the term < -bishop" is 
introduced into the nomenclature of the 
body. "Elder" is much earlier used in the 
growth of the church and its polity than 
"bishop." This priority of employment is 
to be expected as churches were sooner or- 
ganized among the Palestinian Jews than 
elsewhere, and the apostles instinctively 
utilize a term which is familiar and intel- 
ligible. The title elder was well known to 
the ancient patriarchal system and later to 
their temple and synagogue service. In the 
first missionary journey the term elder is 
used to designate the office of superintend- 
ency in the Gentile churches (Acts 14:23). 
But in his address to the elders at Miletus 
(Acts 20:28) he uses the term "bishop", per- 
haps more descriptive of their functions 
than as a designation of their official title. 
Still this may be regarded as an earnest of 
its usage by the Holy Spirit as a title for the 
leader-preeminent in the christian churches. 

Christianity exists not merely as a life 
force and a vital principle in the world, but 
also as an institution and an organized form 
which is divinely intended to protect and 



THE RULER. 19 

preserve that life force. The institutional as- 
pect of Christianity is the legitimate conse- 
quence of the divine character and method. 
"God is not a God of confusion but peace;" 
and we have the inspired dictum "let all 
things be done decently and in order.'" The 
fundamental principles of this organization 
were enunciated by Christ and the Holy 
Spirit. The details of the organization were 
left to be filled in by a church Spirit -direct- 
ed as the changing needs and circumstances 
might demand; but every detail must be in 
full and evident sympathy with the inspired 
fundamental principles of the institution. 

As the necessary organization of the 
church, in so far as that organization is dic- 
tated by inspiration, approaches its maturi- 
ty and final form a word different from that 
which hitherto had been used and more ex- 
pressive and wider-reaching in its signifi- 
cance comes into general use to designate 
the chief officer among the called. He is 
everywhere denominated the eptscopos — a 
bishop or overseer of souls. 

The use of the term "elder" first obtained 
currency among the churches composed of 
Jewish believers; and this term "bishop" 



20 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

among those in which the Gentile element 
predominated. But the designation "bish- 
op", a term borrowed from the Grecian Con- 
stitution, is ultimately drafted into service 
by the Holy Spirit and made to do duty 
among, as well as to gain recognition in, 
the Jewish Christian churches. This was 
doubtless due to its superior expressiveness. 
There was a life in the church higher than 
that of any patriarchal family, or any syn- 
agogue; there were functions devolving upon 
those called to the superintendency of chis- 
tian congregations which were unknown 
to the "elders" of other periods and institu- 
tions. When the time was full for the Jew- 
ish christians to apprehend this larger life 
a different term must be used than the one 
which had formerly served them. The title 
"elder" limited their thought. They could 
grasp the fuller serv icef ulness and wider 
prerogatives of the office better under the 
designation "bishop", than under their own 
historic title "elder". So "bishop" is, by 
them, used; not as instituting a new office 
but as intensifying the official sphere of the 
former one. 

At a later period the terms come to be 



THE RULER. 21 

commonly, synonymously and interchang- 
ably used by both Gentile and Jewish 
churches. The use, at first, of one term 
rather than another is doubtless accounted 
for by its historic and linguistic associa- 
tions. They had each been accustomed to 
express somewhat similar relations, but in 
other realms of thought and activity, by 
these terms, and consequently they prefer- 
red them. The meaning of the term to them 
would be largely determined by its previous 
usage. This being an influencing principle 
in the choice of the terminology of the new 
life it readily followed, when the organiza- 
tion of christian churches in Gentile com- 
munities became an accomplished fact, that 
for the name designating the office of super - 
intendency and authority they should use 
the term "bishop". It was a convenient, 
familiar and expressive one. For in the 
days of the infant church titles sprang out 
of the realities in their life, and were not 
the result of merely hierarchical classifica- 
tion. 

"Bishop" was a political term employed 
by the Greeks before the institution of the 
church of Jesus Christ, and by it they des- 



22 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

ignated certain commissioners with special 
power and authority who were sent to sub- 
ject states The Hellenistic Jews, in the 
Greek version of the Old Testament, make 
use of this word to denote the oversight 
which Eleazar had of the Tabernacle (Num. 
4:16); to designate the captains of the army 
sent by Moses to exterminate the Midianites 
(Num. 31:14:) and also to point out the office 
which, in the last and most terrible of the 
imprecatory Psalms, it is said will be taktn 
away from the impenitent and implacable 
foe of Christ and given to another (Psalm 
109:8)-a provision which inspiration, speak- 
ing through Peter, affirms had reference to 
Judas (Acts 1:20). It is also, in the same 
work, employed with the meaning of "pres- 
ident", "inspector" and 4 'task-master". 

The New Testament writers avail them- 
selves of this word which has had such civ- 
ic and religious relations as to qualify it in 
an eminent manner for the purpose in hand. 
In this enlistment of it the word brings 
over into its new environment and service 
all the significance appertaining to it in the 
former relations, and then by inspired wis- 
dom is adapted to and intensified in its pres- 



THE RULER. 23 

ent agency. Paul, in his pathetic farewell 
address to the elders of Ephesus, reminds 
them that the Holy Ghost has made them 
bishops of the church of God (Acts 20:28). 
They were to receive and exercise authori- 
tative oversight in the churches to which 
they were to minister. In the exercise of 
this God-given commission one of the duties 
of the pastor is to set the people of the 
church at work, properly direct their labors 
and see that they are continuously industri- 
ous in their work. He is to be not a priest 
of laymen, but an overseer of workmen. 

The specific charging of the pastors with 
the discipline of the churches is evident 
from the qualifications which are named as 
necessary for efficiency in the office. "If a 
man know not how to rule his own house, 
how shall he take care of the church of God 
(I Tim. 3:5) ?" They had also a general su- 
perintendency over the spiritual well being 
of the flock (I Pet. 5:2), having in mind the 
securing of a Christly character and right- 
eous conduct upcn the pait of all the mem- 
bers. The elders which rule well are to be 
counted worthy of a double honor, for upon 
them are heavy responsibilities for the sane- 



24 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

tification of the believers. They were to 
warn the unruly (I Thes. .5: 14), rebuke the 
disobedient (II Tim. 4:2) and command an 
authoritative standard of conduct (I Tim. 
4:11). 

The pastors were divinely empowered to 
use certain specific, and even extreme meas- 
ures to preserve the unity and purity of the 
faith, as also the body of believers. To this 
end they could solemnly ''admonish and 
reject (Titus 3: 10)." This passage in Paul's 
letter of instructions to the pastor of the 
Cretian church can hardly be understood in 
any other way than as directing that when 
the pastor discovers the case of one who 
has forsaken the truth as heJd by the church, 
and is industriously propagating some doc- 
trine of his own devising in such a manner 
as to threaten the peace and wellbeing of 
the church, he is to be regarded as factious 
and is to be proceeded against. The method 
of proceedure with such an individual is an 
admonition by the pastor. If the admoni- 
tion once given fails to correct the error the 
heretical one is to receive a second admoni- 
tion. Should he still persist in his self-opin- 
ionated conduct he is to be avoided both in 



THE RULER. 25 

the admonition and the fellowship of the 
church. While the penalty fixed by inspi- 
ration seems not to have been a formal ex- 
communication, yet it was tantamount to 
this; for he no longer held the place of a 
christian brother. In dealing with such cas- 
es there may be the machinery of Pruden- 
tial Committees, or Committees on Disci- 
pline, methods which have fully demon- 
strated their wisdom as extra-scriptural de- 
vices, yet still the principle of the pastor's 
leadership is in no way altered or modified. 
But to initiate discipline, sit in judgment 
upon the trial of the cause and pronounce 
the verdict is preeminently a position of 
authority. 

The pastor was also a person of a distinct- 
ly recognized rank, as well as a specific 
work. In Thessalonians it is said that they 
are "over" the church (I Thes. 5:12), and 
in Corinthians there is what appears to be 
an inspired arrangement of the rank of 
God's servants. "God hath set some in the 
church first apostles, secondly prophets, 
thirdly teachers, &c. (I Cor. 12:28)." There 
were also special marks of honor accorded 
them at the meetings of the church. 



26 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

All these things would seem to make it 
evident to us that in the mind of God the 
pastor's position was to be one of superin- 
tendency, ruling and authority, within di- 
vinely prescribed limits. But whatever de- 
gree of authority we may accept as existing 
in the pastor we must carefully avoid re- 
garding that authority as arbitrary or pure- 
ly official. It is preeminently moral and, 
at best, only quasi-official. The authority 
of the pastor depends upon his Christ-like 
character, his divine call to the position, 
his intellectual and spiritual apprehension 
of revealed truth and his providential occu- 
pation of the post of a religious teacher. It 
is an authority in which the regnant, un- 
challenged and unalloyed purpose is to se- 
cure the best and highest welfare of those 
over whom the authority is exercised, and 
in no sense a 4 'lording it ovei God's heritage. " 

These differing degrees of import and va- 
rying shades of significance which we have 
endeavored to trace in the titles by which 
the leadership in the churches of Christ was 
indicated may not always be discovered in 
their exact chronological order. The order 
of time, indeed, seems not to have been 



" THE RULER. 27 

observed at all. There was no time when 
in all the churches he was simply president, 
from which he was promoted to eldership, 
and from that rose to be a bishop. In some 
of the churches a portion of the various as- 
pects are not present at all. Indeed the 
christian ecclesiastical system is not a me- 
chanical hierarchy arbitrarily formulated 
in the frigid deliberations of calculating 
human minds, which is afterwards to be 
foisted upon a people yet to be, with condi- 
tions yet to be realized, but rather a growth 
and maturity, the issue of a life process dom- 
inated by a supreme life which was ever 
actuated by a living purpose. As a conse- 
quence rigid lines of demarcation may not 
be traced in this evolving process. The re- 
ceeded stages blend with each advancing 
one and are fulfilled as each onward stage 
is apprehended and utilized. None is ever 
lost; the ripened fullness of each remains. 
We can, consequently, rightly understand 
the final product only when we are con- 
scious of all that has preceeded it in the re- 
markable life history. 

The pastorate is a composite picture in 
which may be seen the example, the teach- 



28 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN 

er and the man of authority. With this pic- 
ture clearly and vividly before us, and keen- 
ly conscious that these distinguishing lines 
have been drawn into the finished picture 
by the divine artist, we are in some measure 
prepared to enter upon a consideration of the 
question as to whether woman should seek 
or receive ordination to the pastorate at the 
hands of the church and the eldership. 



CHAPTER II. 

SOME EXTRA-SCRIPTURAL 

CONSIDERATIONS. 

SECTION 1. AN ANOMALOUS SOCIAL 
ORDER. 

Into the pregnant position of the pastor 
with its unique origin and purpose the es- 
sayist undertakes to maintain that there is 
no warrant either in reason or revelation 
for inducting woman. Indeed, the rugged 
example, peculiar teaching powers and rare 
ruling functions required of the pastor are 
such that it seems evident that both nature 
and grace, reason and revelation caution 
against, if they do not both forbid the ef- 
fort to ordain woman to this office. Con- 
forming to this conviction some extra- script - 
ural considerations are first presented. 

Whether designedly so or not the effort 
to ordain woman to the pastorate tends to 



30 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

overthrow the entire social system formu- 
lated by God for the race of man, and to 
introduce an anomalous social order. For to 
grant the propriety and regularity of a sin- 
gle instance of the ordination of woman to 
the bishopric, is to grant a possible univer- 
sal application of the custom, as well as the 
existence of certain facts and operating prin- 
ciples which are necessary presuppositions 
to an ordination; and which, if granted, 
would tend to subvert the true and divinely 
established social order. 

Woman's preeminent and undisputed 
realm is the empire called home. There she 
may sit upon an immutable throne, whose 
dynasty never changes, and occupy it ^ ith 
a right which none can challenge, and from 
it she may rule with a splendor unapproach- 
ed by Catharine of Russia, Anne of England 
or Maria Theresa of Germany. About the 
kingdom which encircles such a throne 
none can throw limiting and straitening 
metes and bounds. Within the memory of 
all of us a nation followed her with their 
curses as Isabella fled from the Spanish 
throne and went into a sad and unmourned 
exile; but she who is queen in the home will 



AN ANOMALOUS SOCIAL ORDER. 31 

never lose her scepter, and death itself will 
only multiply the regions over which she 
rules. 

Women must be mothers if the world is 
to go on till Jesus come and find it a peo- 
pled globe. And the best of women, the 
most Godly, the most Spirit-filled women 
must travail in childbirth and be nursing 
mothers if the best material is to be offered 
to God to fill the places of trust, responsi- 
bility and power through which he is accom- 
plishing the destiny of the race. That was 
not a merely romantic sentimentalism 
which thrilled the breast of the Roman ma- 
tron when, pointing to her children, she 
said ''these are my jewels." She may never 
have read the exalted conception of moth- 
erhood proclaimed by the gospel story and 
the inspired interpretation of it; but her soul 
knew and voiced an experience with which 
heaven was most highly pleased. More hon- 
orable is it to God and more serviceful to 
man, for women to be mothers of preach- 
ers than preachers to mothers. Great is the 
debt of the church of to-day, as well as of 
all ages, to the spiritual influence of devot- 
ed mothers. Who shall name the value to 



32 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

the kingdom of heaven of the mothers of 
Augustine, Chrysostom and Gregory Naz- 
ianzen, of Betsey Moody, the mother of 
Spurgeon and the mother of A. J. Gordon! 

But to the extent to which women are 
ordained this order will be completely over- 
thrown and that subversion will so thor- 
oughly ramify society which comes in touch 
with it as to enervate the present order 
everywhere and thoroughly blight it in a 
wide range. 

Our sense of the fitness of things is rude- 
ly shocked, when we have consideration 
for woman's physical, temperamental and 
social condition, at the thought of her hold- 
ing an official position in the church of 
Christ which involves all that the pastorate 
involves. It is not in keeping with the 
standards of propriety held by society of 
this day that woman should preach, pre- 
form the duties and assume the authority 
incumbent upon the public teacher and 
leader of a christian church. Whatever may 
be the esthetic convictions of the favored 
and advanced few, the writer is thoroughly 
persuaded that the great mass of people 
within, as well as without the church, can 



AN ANOMALOUS SOCIAL ORDER. 33 

contemplate the idea of a woman pastor 
without a keen sense of its unseemliness 
and a large reserve of confidence. Her queen- 
ship in the home has gotten so inflexible a 
hold upon the convictions of mankind that 
the assertion and manifestation of herself 
in realms which may measurabty antagonize 
her empire of the family can have no other 
result than impress them that such a place 
is exceedingly inappropriate for her. Un- 
godly men entertaining such views of wo- 
man's rightful realm as have been referred 
to, seeing her in the place of publicity and 
authority might, and not without occasion, 
conclude that Christianity did not adequate- 
ly value the sacredness of motherhood, and 
was not fixed in its convictions as to the 
sanctity of the home and woman's place 
there. By this means the work of our Christ 
would be prejudiced, and reproach brought 
upon our holy cause. 

The experience of maternity necessitates 
a somewhat protracted period of retirement 
for the mother. But this suspension of ac- 
tivities would be a desideratum very unde- 
sirable in the pastorate. The months in a 
mother's life leading up to the confinement 



34 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

hour are those in which by reason of the 
suggestiveness of her condition it would be 
exceedingly imprudent for her to be in a 
public position. The ungodly would chal- 
lenge her chastity or womanly modesty and 
so the interests of the kingdom be evil 
spoken of. 

The determining principle in Paul's re- 
striction placed upon the women at Corinth 
was that such conduct as he forbade would 
have a tendency to prejudice the unconvert- 
ed against Christianity and bring reproach 
upon the cause. This is a principle of life 
not temporary or oriental, but for all times 
and all peoples, Occident as well as orient. 

Our consciousness of propriety remon- 
strates against the thought of a woman per- 
forming the ordinance of baptism, especial- 
ly unto a man. The incongruity of such a 
scene and then the possible immodest, not 
to say lascivious thoughts, which might be 
kindled or inflamed in the mind of the un- 
godly make against such an experience with 
gigantic thrusts. The bare-headed and 
short-haired women in the public gather- 
ings of the church of Corinth, against which 
the apostle inveighs with such weight and 



AN ANOMALOUS SOCIAL ORDER. 35 

intensity, were no more a violation of the 
fitness of things, and a subversion of the 
social order of that day than a woman in 
a baptistry undertaking to immerse a man 
weighing two hundred and fifty pounds 
would do despite to the conceptions of so- 
cial order in our day. 

The ordination of women to the pastor- 
ate would introduce an abnormal condition 
into the operating institution of the king- 
dom of God and weaken the machinery 
where it most needs strengthening. For 
the work of the church to-day, no less than 
in all ages, is a work of conquest. She is thr 
church militant; who is also the conquering 
one. Paramountry, then, are demanded 
those regenerated and Spirit-guided quali- 
ties of sternness and endurance which are 
commonly accepted as characterizing and 
differentiating man from woman. The mas- 
culine rather than the feminine element 
needs accentuation in the ministry for this 
day. The absence of men from our congre- 
gations and from our membership calls for 
an appeal to manhood and the exemplifica- 
tion of the same in all our church services 
and life; but supremely is it needed in the 



36 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

office of pastor. The ordination of women 
would have a strong tendency to make the 
church a woman's institution, which it is 
too largely at this time, as is sadly true, 
and confirm the impression which has ob- 
tained in some quarters that Christianity is 
only for the women. The aching need of 
the church is men. 

There is a tenacious and very wide- spread 
conviction that a woman unwomans herself 
when she assumes to be a leader and dir< ct- 
or of men. There may be somewhere and 
sometime an unsexing of humanity but it 
waits till the heavenly state and the Fath- 
er's eternal presence to be realized. For 
we read that it is "in heaven that they nei- 
ther marry nor are given in marriage.'' 
While here upon the earth these distinc- 
tions and relations, with all that follows as 
a consequence, must continue to appertain. 

Men must and will continue to be ordain- 
ed to the pastorate down to the close of the 
age, and if women are ordained to the offi- 
cial position we will have a mixed ministry 
giving an occasion to idle gossip and possi- 
ble scandal. 

The common law of propriety enacted by 



AN ANOMALOUS SOCIAL ORDER. 37 

the wellnigh uniform taste of humanity 
makes the ordination of woman to the pas- 
torate a proposition which is to be rejected 
with earnestness. The court of our intui- 
tions has declared it an undesirable and an 
abnormal condition of affairs. Not that 
each individual, or many individuals com- 
bined can, out of the depths of their moral 
and ethical consciousness evolve principles 
and rules which are to be accepted as in- 
fillible an I must, therefore, govern men 
and women in the affairs of this life. Yet 
there is a measure of authority attending 
and assurance to be obtained from the intu- 
itions of man. Paul declares that the heath- 
en can get a measurably satisfactory knowl- 
edge of God from the universe (Rom. 1:20, 
32) and that somewhat of an understand- 
ing of the law of God may be had from the 
sense of fitness and propriety engraven on 
their own hearts and consciences (Rom. 2: 
14—15). 

If this was true of them before the long 
discipline of two milleniums of Christian 
teaching, leavening and life, we who live 
now ought not to have much difficulty in 
accepting the authority of those normal in- 



38 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN 

tuitions which are so generally felt concern- 
ing the spheres of men and women in this 
life. 



SECTION 2. THE CONSTITUTIONAL 
PROTEST. 

The constitution of woman's nature pro- 
tests against such ordination. Woman has 
a nature as complete and unqualifiedly hu- 
man as man. She has a nature thoroughly 
equal to man in every attribute of human- 
ity, and every affinity for God. Her nature 
is as sorely in need of redemption as his, as 
susceptible to the divine life and agencies 
as his and capable of as exalted a glorifica- 
tion as his in that divine palingenesis which 
is the hope of every believing soul. And 
yet it has pleased God in the constitution 
of that nature to appoint unto her specific 
fields of aspiration, endeavor and fruitful- 
ness wherein she may be valuable and pre- 
eminent. But these each lie outside the 
boundaries of the Christian pastorate and 
necessitate qualities which are not of the 
highest servicefulness in that office. 

There are certain constitutional physical 
obstacles in the way of a proper and sue- 



40 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

cessf ul performance by woman of the man- 
ifold and unceasing duties of the pastoral 
office. Few women are fitted by physique 
or voice qualities to master an audience as 
is demanded of the preacher, and to endure 
the strain and grind of a pastor's life. She 
does not possess the physical endurance 
which the protracted efforts of the pastor- 
ate require. There are not in her those 
qualifications which fit her to ; -endure hard- 
ness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 
There may be some phenominal exceptions 
but they only assist in demonstrating the 
verity of the principle announced. 

Woman's natural constitution does not 
contemplate or allow such continuous work 
as is demanded of the pastor. She may 
arbitrarily, stoically and contemptuously 
disregard those recurring seasons when re- 
tirement is so essential to her highest wel- 
fare and comfort; but nature subjected to 
such a strain will soon speak with peremto- 
ry authority. Her divinely indicated place 
as queen in the home, with its accompany- 
ing opportunities for quiet and retirement 
is wisely appoiuted in the interest of those 
periods of needed rest which come to her. 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTEST. 41 

If woman becomes a wife, as the Author 
of nature contemplates she will, and a child- 
bearing and nursing mother, she is disqual- 
ified for the exposure and nervous strain of 
the pulpit and the exhausting toil of the 
pastoral office, by a proper regard for pub- 
lic decency as well as for her own health 
and that of her offspring. 

Nature procliams woman's subordination 
to man and consequent unfitness for the 
pastoral office by the simple fact of sex. 
Woman is not an undeveloped or suppress- 
ed man. Educate boys and girls together 
with the same opportunities, discipline and 
curriculum and the basal, fundimental dis- 
tinctions abide. Develope, refine and uplift 
woman as you will and she is still woman. 
Regeneration does not unsex her. Christi- 
anity and its consequent civilization do 
greatly elevate, advance and ennoble wo- 
man; but this onward upward progress 
will simply make her more truly woman. 
It can not and does not make her any more 
nearly man. In fact just the opposite of 
that is found to be true in a study of social 
conditions. The lower you go down in the 
scale of civilization the fewer and less im- 



42 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

portant are the differences between the out- 
ward man and the outward woman. In the 
ruder forms of civilization women dig, 
dress, talk and work like men, in field and 
elsewhere. But as civilization is leavened 
and purified by divine ideals and purposes 
the differences between man and woman, 
as respects mind, tastes and habits, are more 
clearly marked and accentuated. In the 
highest type of civilization which we have 
woman is a person of refinement, domestic 
tastes and quiet retirement. Her improve- 
ment does not make her less feminine and 
more masculine; but by it the very fact of 
sex is intensified and magnified. And sex 
has an influence peculiarly its own on char- 
acter, capability and consummation. And 
this influence is not that which is of the 
highest efficiency in the position of an elder 
in a gospel church. 

The differences between men and women 
are farther reaching than the physical fact 
of sex. There are certain mental charac- 
teristics and habits of discourse which if 
not strictly peculiar to woman yet find in 
woman such prominence and emphasis as 
to become essentially one of her distinguish- 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTEST. 43 

ing characteristics. Woman's mental ten- 
dencies fasten readily npon details. Items 
and circumstances she often clearly grasps, 
so clearly that there is grave danger that 
the mind will be mastered by the fact rath- 
er than hold that fact subservient to the 
great purpose in which it is merely an item. 
This may, in some measure, account for the 
extreme and aberrant position sometimes 
taken by her. Such a trend of thought would 
seriously weaken ones capacity to compass 
in their contemplation the great general plan 
of redemption as formulated and consum- 
mated by God, — a grace and capacity much 
to be coveted in the pastor, that truths, 
facts and experiences may be set forth in 
their heaven- ordained relation and propor- 
tion to each other. 

The inclination to accentuate details easi- 
ly leads one into the embellishment of tri- 
fles and the magnifying of the formal and 
ceremonial element with a consequent, 
though perhaps unintentional, dwarfing of 
the great verities and life experiences back 
of the mere drapery observed in the cere- 
mony. It is just possible that the demand 
which is being made for formal ordination 



44 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

by certain women may operate as a proof of 
this enfeebling and disqualifying mental 
tendency. 

Woman is impressionable; reached and 
stirred through her emotions and impulses; 
and uniformly seeks to secure results 
through the same channels of contact. In 
those matters and realms where the intui- 
tions are accorded a measure of authority, 
the quick conclusion reached by woman is 
more liable to be correct than man's early 
impression. Emerson speaks of the sen- 
sitiveness of woman, that she ' 'is as delicate 
as iodine to light." Coleridge was wont to ac- 
cept her first thought but not the one which 
she had undertaken to demonstrate. To 
a lady whose impression he had sought 
and secured, who undertook to support her 
impression with a "because," he replied, 
' 'pardon me, Madam, leave me to find out 
the reasons for myself." Valuable as im- 
pressions, emotions and intuitions are for 
certain purposes, they yet have disqualify- 
ing properties when they are found to be 
regnant in the intellectual constitution of 
the one desiring the office of a bishop. Such 
an one must have a decided facility in the 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTEST. 45 

use of the syllogism. Eev. Henry J. Van 
Dyke, D. D., speaking to the same thought 
says: "Paul before Agrippa reasoned con- 
cerning temperance, righteousuess and judg- 
ment to come. The kind of preaching which 
ignores reasoning and throws aside doctrine 
and despises catechisms and consists in ap- 
peals to the feelings, is another gospel than 
that which Paul preached, and will not pro- 
mote the kind of life which the church 
needs. The cure for dead orthodoxy is not 
to throw away the orthodoxy, but to quick- 
en it anew with the zeal which reasons out 
of the scriptures and declares the whole 
counsel of God." 

There are certain temperamental condi- 
tions in woman which seriously prejudice 
her case in view of her appeal for ordina- 
tion. Her recognized superior sensitiveness 
to man without the rectifying and govern- 
ing element secured by the ascendency of 
pure reason over impulse would introduce 
an unhappy, not to say undesirable, element 
into a position making so many serious and 
exacting demands upon a person as does 
the pastorate. 

Her kindly sympathetic nature which es- 



46 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

pecially and highly fits her for certain ac- 
tivities and responsibilities for which na- 
ture and Providence seem to have designat- 
ed her, would have a tendency largely to 
unfit her for dealing with certain phenom- 
ena of life and the proclamation of great 
general truths. This lively sympathetic na- 
ture is in great danger of being so blinded 
by the intensity of the need of the case in 
hand as to lead her to mistake an apparent 
temporary relief for a permanent benefit, 
and in the eagerness to obtain the immedi- 
ate advantage there is equally grave danger 
that there will be an undervaluing of the 
great principles of morality, ethics and 
righteousness. The terrible wreck which 
sin has wrought in the soul and the conse- 
quent imperative necessity of a thorough 
Christlike probing of the soul to its very 
depths, though there may be pain and an- 
guish attending the process, if the soul is 
ever to be delivered from its bondage of sin 
would seem to require something more than 
that aspect of sympathy to which reference 
has been made. These cases demand a rigid 
uncompromising element which may be ex- 
pected in the sterner sex but for which we 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTEST. 47 

do not look in woman. Indeeed, by reason 
of the very constitution of her nature it is 
not to be asked for in woman. 

Whatever may be true of rare instances 
under especially favorable environments, it 
yet remains to be demonstrated that the 
distinctively womanly nature possesses that 
stability of will, that undaunted, unshift- 
ing, untrembling adherence to purpose and 
principle which characterize manliness and 
is so essential to the one who must proclaim 
God's truth and direct the affairs of his 
church though the world may frown or even 
persecute. The womanly nature is lacking 
in certain aspects and manifestations of 
that peculiar endowment which has been 
denominated ' 'force of character," and 
which aspects are looked for in man. She 
has charm, delicacy and femininity in its 
noblest sense; but not robustness, strength 
and masculinity. There is beauty and in- 
tricacy in the mechanism of a watch; but 
it takes the ponderosity and persistent force 
of the locomotive to propel the train across 
the continent. For the comfort of a bur- 
dened heart which sits apart in its loneli- 
ness there is nothing so effective as the 



48 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

delicate sympathy of woman perfected by 
the present Spirit; but when this globe is 
to be girdled with the gospel and gospel in- 
stitutions there is absolutely demanded that 
force of character discoverable in man when 
regenerated and Spirit-filled. 

Woman is strong in sentimental affilia- 
tions. Her great upward movement is not 
through independent effort. She rises by 
means of association and companionship 
with those who rise by arduous toil. She is 
idealistic rather than realistic. Her concep- 
tions are forged into the most lasting and 
lucrative facts only as they are straightened 
upon the anvil of experience and blow after 
blow falls upon them from certain mascu- 
line characteristics in nature's Son of 
Lamech. 

Woman is strongly predisposed to look at 
all things through the atmosphere of ro- 
mance, sentiment and fancy, which may 
seriously color and distort the true image. 
All things and relations are influenced more 
or less by the perturbations of her physi- 
cal, sexual nature. The other elements and 
qualities of her character, and motives of 
her activities are not sufficiently strong to 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROTEST. 49 

assert their ascendency. This is not an in- 
sinuation that in the womanly nature there 
is an actual or potential lasciviousness not 
in man. Far from this. It is the very oppo- 
site of an universal impeachment of woman. 
This very fact may be her sublimest poten- 
tiality; her very crowning glory as she 
moves in that sphere and seeks to accom- 
plish those ends which nature and revela- 
tion make evident. But still the regnancy 
of these facts in her life exposes her to cer- 
tain peculiar dangers and makes her the 
easy prey of special forms of error. In our 
own generation we have seen her readily 
swayed by the picturesque occultism and 
esoteric nechromancy of peculiar Eastern 
heresies. Many would-be female high priests 
of culture, and woman aspirants to leader- 
ship in literature in Boston are well known 
to be enthusiastic Theosophists, with num- 
erous Buddhist, Brahmin or Confucianist 
proteges. Rev. Dr. Barrows, who made his 
observations in its native air and environ- 
ment speaks of this to which woman has 
given herself as "a dismal swamp, in which 
flourish grossest idolatries, hideous super- 
stitions, fearful diabolism." But more of 



50 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

this under other aspects of the case. Suffi- 
cient is there in this to evince marked in- 
herent temperamental disqualifications in 
woman for the pastoral office. 



SECTION 3. THE WITNESS OF EXPERIENCE. 

In the attempts which have been made in 
that direction church history furnishes not 
a single illustration of the ordination of a 
woman to the pastorate which has been 
followed by a markedly successful ministry, 
or such a ministry as would offer an argu- 
ment for the proceedure. Indeed, some of 
the correspondence had upon this question 
reveals most shocking and almost incredi- 
ble things as resulting from the effort of 
woman to assume the prerogatives of the 
pastorate; some with and others without 
ordination. 

The instances wherein effort has been 
made to ordain woman to the pastorate are 
comparatively few, and mostly of quite re- 
cent date. The field upon which we may 
draw for illustrative material is, of necessi- 
ty, quite limited. Our argument from ex- 
perience must be based upon results discov- 
ablein somewhat analogous fields of effort. 
In those circles of activitv which have the 



52 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

most and the nearest correspondences to 
the pastorate the appearance of woman 
furnishes a decided protest against the 
thought of ordination. Woman in political 
presidency and leadership has touched the 
depths of sin. It was Catherioe de Medici, 
the mother of two French kings, whose 
heart devised and whose voice directed the 
massacre of St. Bartholomew. ''Bloody 
Mary," Queen of England and head of the 
established church, turned back the Refor- 
mation, rekindled the fires of Smithfield and 
went beyond her own bishops in the spirit 
of persecution. "We need not continue the 
catalogue. But going back to the beginning 
of all human woe, we are reminded that it 
was woman who was first in the transgres- 
sion, and that it was part of the condemna- 
tion of man that he had ''hearkened unto 
the voice of his wife." It is not pleasant to 
repeat these things. But the truth of histo- 
ry must not be sacrificed on the altar of 
gallantry, nor the foundations of Christian 
Theology set aside for the misty sentimen- 
talism which expatiates on the natural good- 
ness of woman." 

Her unqualified and unrestricted leader- 



THE WITNESS OP EXPERIENCE. 53 

ship in some modern religious heresies re- 
veals the heinous possibilities of the woman 
bishop. The three greatest heresies of mod- 
ern times, some of which masquerade as 
Christian, were either founded or propogat- 
ed by women, and these several cults now 
have women in their leadership. Spiritual- 
ism sprang from the brain of the Fox sis- 
ters, in Western New York, a half century 
ago and grew more corrupt and corrupting 
as the years went by. The divinity of Christ 
was denied, infidels and atheists were link- 
ed in a new compact as fellow-lovers of 
darkness, departed friends, who in their 
lifetime were known to be endowed with 
ordinary good sense were represented as 
leaving the spirit land and journeying to 
this to participate in the nonsense of mys- 
terious rappings and table -tappings, and 
noble-spirited, pure-lived christians who, 
in the days of their flesh, would have no 
fellowship with the workers of darkness, 
were heralded as leaguing themselves with 
free-lovers, atheists and infidels and advo- 
cating the frauds of spiritualism. 

"Christian Science" originated with a 
woman. It begins with denying a personal 



54 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

God, proceeds with a rejection of the reali- 
ty of sin, the incarnation of Jesus and the 
vicarious atonement of Christ and dispenses 
with prayer as a petition. It rejects the 
Bible and asks the dying soul to pillow it- 
self upon the teachings of Mrs. Eddy and 
so establishes itself as thoroughly unchris- 
tian. It denies the reality of the body, and, 
indeed, of all things, except an impersonal 
divine mind and so demonstrates itself as 
utterly unscientific. Dr. A. C. Dixon says 
that "it is the art of making sensible peo- 
ple feel and act as if they were deranged. 
Only a woman of culture, hailing from Bos- 
ton, could have founded and made popular 
such a refinement of folly." 

Theosophy in its modern guise was her- 
alded by a Russian adventuress who made 
use of certain reputed mahatmas from the 
snow-bound pagan fastnesses of the Hima- 
layas. These were proclaimed as those who 
could instruct and bless mankind. It ap- 
peals to the uncanny, finds plausible sup- 
port in jugglery, worships the intellect, 
talks very much about a vague something 
which it terms the ' 'Astral body" and actu- 
ally believes in ghosts. 



THE WITNESS OF EXPERIENCE. 55 

The founder, Madam Blavatsky, was re- 
peatedly demonstrated to be the greatest 
fraud that ever sought to impose upon a 
credulous public. When she went to her 
grave there arose as the high priestess of 
the cult one Anna Besant, a woman who 
had "bidden adieu to her christian faith to 
wander with Bradlaugh through the dreary 
wastes of Atheism, seeking rest and finding 
none. Then the pendulum-swing carried her 
from the extreme of Atheism to the far- 
thest bounds of credulity." 

It is unnecessary to pursue the discussion 
of this proposition farther. Such is the 
leadership of the modern woman in modern 
religious movements under the changed 
conditions and circumstances of this age. 

Perhaps the only reference in the New 
Testament to anything like a woman ruling 
a church is the instance of the church in 
Thyatira (Rev. 2:20), wherein inspiration 
administers a severe rebuke to the church 
for permitting that self-appointed "proph- 
etess," Jezebel "to teach." In this church 
the Lord found something to commend. 
There was an activity of love issuing in 
ministry to the sick and needy, and a life 



56 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

of faith as evinced by their patience in en- 
during tribulation; but there was no ad- 
vance, rather a decided retrogression, in 
learning the facts of doctrine and valuing 
the importance of the same to the healthy 
effective christian life. We cannot be too 
careful along these lines lest we mistake 
kindly human succor of human needs for 
the great ministries to man's immortal needs. 
With this condition of affairs at Thyatira 
the Master was greatly grieved, and for the 
operating cause of the condition he re- 
prooves them. The point and force of the 
divine reprimand are directed against the 
fact that Jezebel was suffered to teach and, 
evidently, in a public and formal way, and 
with a measure of accredited authority. 
Whatever her nominal relation to the church 
she yet dominated and ruled it, determin- 
ing and directing its false doctrines. That 
church must ever stand as a witness to and 
an example of, the fact that one of the most 
probable evils of female leadership in the 
church is a sad perversion of doctrine. So 
that the only case in the sacred pages of a 
church dominated by a woman presents a 
horrid condition of sin and may be divinely 



THE WITNESS OF EXPERIENCE. 57 

intended as a warning for all ages to 
churches which permit, and persons who 
aspire to female leadership in the church 
of Christ. 

The witness of experience bears frequent 
testimony that the attempt to ordain wo- 
man to the pastorate would be a serious en- 
cumbrance upon her as an active worker 
for Christ, and would materially weaken 
her highest servicef ulness in perfectly prop- 
er spheres of aspiration and endeavor; for 
woman is now markedly efficient and suc- 
cessful in many more or-less public fields of 
christian activity. And her continued ser- 
vice in those fields may confidently be ex- 
pected. But the insistance upon and practice 
of ordination to the pastorate will close many 
doors now open to her. She can accomplish 
vastly more without ordination than she 
can with it. Many pulpits which are now 
open to her as she comes to them simply as 
a private individual laboring and pleading 
for her Lord, would be closed to her should 
she come falsely clothed in forms of author- 
ity unwarranted by nature and unauthor- 
ized by revelation. When woman seeks 
ordination she bars against herself these 



58 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

possible opportunities; for the assumption 
by woman of the Bishop's office does such 
violence to the convictions of the great mass 
of pastors concerning the scripture order 
that they could not conscientiously invite 
such women to their pulpits. For such ac- 
tion upon their part would enervate their 
protest against "female eldership," and 
might reasonably be construed as a partial 
endorsement of woman's aspiration to ordi- 
nation to the pastorate. 

Many instances might also be given of 
woman's greater effectiveness when she ex- 
presses herself in private christian work 
with individual souls in need, simply because 
she presented herself as a private individual 
without any of the elements of official func- 
tions or of a ceremonial office. Mrs. Lucy 
W. Waterbury, Home Secretary of the Wo- 
man's Baptist Foreign Mission Society, in 
one of her articles upon "Woman's Work 
Abroad," in The Examiner, gives some per- 
tinent testimony. The incident occurred 
just after the exposure of the trickery of 
Madame Blavatsky at the shrine of the Ma- 
hatmas in Madras. "In this time of deepest 
mortification Madame Blavatskv fell ill. 



THE WITNESS OF EXPERIENCE. 59 

Stamped as a cheat and a charlatan, known 
as a woman of violent temper and abusive 
language, bereft of many of her followers, 
she lay for weeks alone and forlorn in a 
Madras hotel. In that hour of trial there 
came to her a sweet Christian woman. Day 
after day she visited this stranger, carrying 
fruit and flowers, performing unpleasant 
duties with her own hands, and giving, what 
was best of all, her own charming presence 
and companionship. She did not preach nor 
read the Bible, but she embodied the Gospel 
of Christ to this woman, his enemy, sick 
and in prison, who inquired, one day, why 
this kindness was shown to her, and was 
told by her visitor that her religion compel- 
led her to do it. ' 'Are you a missionary pas- 
tor?" "No, only a Christian woman who 
would be glad to help you in any possible 
way." The hard face softened. "I am glad 
you are not a missionary pastor. I hate 
them; but you have been very kind to me, 
and I thank you." 

What return this "bread cast upon the 
water" may have after many days none but 
the Master may know. Likeness to Christ 
in that christian woman's life enabled her 



tfO THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

to touch that great errorist's life. Certain 
it is that had this woman been an ordained 
pastor the high priestess of Theosophy would 
have spurned her and been unmoved by the 
power of Christ in her life. Ordination 
would seriously hamper woman's service 
for Christ. 



CHAPTEK III. 

THE PRESENTATION OF SOME 

SCRIPTURAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

SECTION 1. THE UNSYMPATHETIC 
SCRIPTURES. 

We have failed as yet to discover a single 
passage in the inspired volume which by 
fair and faithful exegesis expects or de- 
mands the ordination of woman to the of- 
fice of a bishop. The gospel offers infinite 
possibilities of elevation and improvement 
to woman over what unregenerate thought 
has assigned to her; but the inspired record 
has no word of sympathy for her entrance 
upon the office of overseer in the church of 
God. All that is said of official position in 
the church and of the individual relations 
of believers, as it touches in any degree this 
question, is decidedly out of sympathy with 
the purpose of inducting woman into the 



62 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

pastorate by ordination. 

Neither Jesus nor the Apostles particu- 
larly forbid the ordination of woman to the 
pastorate. They say nothing specifically 
about it. It is taken for granted that their 
example and our sanctified common sense 
and conformity to the inspired order would 
be a sufficient barrier to any such effort up- 
onour part. 

There is lacking even a single instance in 
the Apostolic age, as also in the early cen- 
turies of the church's life, of the ordination 
of woman to the pastorate. The hands in 
ordination were never lain upon a woman. 
Women were never even called to be supply 
pastors in the New Testament times, though 
we have it recorded that there were numer- 
ous intelligent, capable and pious women 
connected with the church who could have 
been utilized for this work had the Holy 
Spirit deemed it wise to commit these spe- 
cific pastoral duties to women. 

The seventy and the twelve were all men. 
There is authorization and permanent prin- 
ciple in the limitations thus fixed. They 
mark eligibility to official churchly position. 
Jesus does not undertake to justify himself 



THE UNSYMPATHETIC SCRIPTURES. 63 

to us in this limitation of the place of lead- 
ership to men, but we may rest assured that 
for it there were considerations as sapient 
as God. To think of him in this matter, 
as simply conforming himself to the preju- 
dices of a barbarous age is to attribute to 
him an unworthy motive. To men he gave 
the great Commission. That Commission 
was accepted by men, carried out by men, 
and the ordinances of the church were per- 
formed by men during the entire New Tes- 
tament period, when the constitution of 
the church is forming and its principles be- 
ing fixed. 

All the letters, instructions and charges 
concerning church order which come to us 
with inspired authority were formally ad- 
dressed to men. Not one of the pastoral 
epistles is addressed to a woman. The Sec- 
ond Epistle of John, a brief letter from the 
private correspondence of the aged apostle, 
is the only instance of any address to a wo- 
man. And the burden of this epistle begins 
with certain personal relations existing be- 
tween the author and this elect lady and 
passes over gradually into instructions and 
admonitions concerning this ladv's attitude 



64 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

toward her own children, and certain error- 
ists in doctrine and proselytes in conduct 
who might from time to time be granted 
the hospitality of her home. The graces 
commended and the duties enjoined are such 
as had reference to her conduct in private 
life. There is no intimation of any official 
relation to the church in her city and of 
which she was a member. 

The address of the epistles is significant 
as marking those who were recognized by 
the churches as standing in representative 
or authoritative positions. Their address 
is as inerrant as their contents. In these 
letters we have several mentions made of 
the wives of bishops, but no reference what- 
ever to the husbands of bishops. The uni- 
form use of the masculine noun or pronoun, 
and the similies or other figurative expres- 
sions by which reference is made to the 
functions and duties of the pastor all neces- 
sitate a man in the office, "if a man desire 
the office of a bishop" (I Tim. 3:1). "That 
he may be able by sound doctrine both to 
exhort and to convince gainsayers" (Tit. 1 : 
9). "He is to endure hardness as a good sol- 
dier of Jesus Christ" (II Tim. 2:3). Women 



THE UNSYMPATHETIC SCRIPTURES. 65 

are never referred to in the scriptures as 
"pastors," "elders" or "bishops." They are 
styled "servants," "female deacons, " "those 
who labored," "those who labored much in 
the Lord." It is specifically stated that the 
official "gifts" were to men (Eph. 4:11). 
Women were never referred to in a com- 
mendatory or unreproving way as exercis- 
ing the function of ruling or superintend- 
ency. 

Christ never asked any woman or body of 
women what they thought of him with a 
view to drawing from them their judgment 
and understanding of him and his mission, 
so that he might be able to determine, from 
formal statements made by them, whether 
they were in any measure qualified to be 
the teachers of his truth. This he did of 
men (Matt. 16:15); and his subsequent dis- 
position of those men throws light on the 
purpose of his interrogation. The women 
and the womanly service most highly com- 
mended by Christ are not those who were 
most prominent before the people, or that 
labor which made woman conspicuous in 
leadership; but the widow whose offering 
was made so unostentatiously that the 



66 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

Master must call attention to it or it will go 
unobserved, and Mary stealing up to the 
Master's couch that she may break the box 
of precious fragrant spikenard upon his 
feet. 

The divinely appointed destiny of woman 
is motherhood with ail its burdens and bless- 
ings. "I will, therefore, that the younger 
women marry, bear children, guide the 
house, give none occasion to the adversary 
to speak reproachfully" (I Tim. 5:14). Any 
form of ecclesiastical polity which discour- 
ages marriage, or makes the full discharge 
of its obligations any more burdensome, is 
contrary to nature and the word of God. 
But this would be true if women were or- 
dained to the pastorate. A celibate ministry 
is contrary to nature and inspired wisdom, 
as well as being impolitic, and is not to be 
encouraged. But a ministry composed of 
female celibates is exposed to perils even 
greater than those which surround the celi- 
bacy of men, and is not to be entertained 
as offering the relief which will permit 
woman to devote her time and energies to 
the duties of the pastorate, however much 
she may desire such prominence. 



THE UNSYMPATHETIC SCRIPTURES. 67 

It is unnecessary longer to multiply in- 
stances. The word of God not only has no 
sympathy with, but is decidedly out of sym- 
pathy with the ordination of a female order 
of bishops. 



SECTION 2. THE REQUISITE QUALIFICATIONS 
ARE ABSENT. 

In the very nature of the case it is im- 
possible for woman to present the necessary 
qualifications for the pastoral office. Under 
the Jewish ritualistic service, established by 
God. only the males could be priests. In 
the new dispensation the use of the term 
1 -elder" implies that God never contemplated 
that the female should enter the pastoral 
office; and the inspired instruction to Tim- 
othy was "If a man desire the office of a 
bishop he desireth a good thing.'' Until the 
tide of nature is turned back and sex altered 
she is disqualified at the very thresh hold of 
aspiration to the office. And for her to covet 
such a position becomes a malediction upon 
her life. 

Restrictions growing out of sex were not 
only placed upon the possible candidates for 
the office, but those who were to be active 
as the servants of God and the church 



THE ABSENT QUALIFICATIONS. 69 

were specifically cautioned in this matter 
and their choice of whom they should or- 
dain limited. In II Tim. 2:2 instructions 
are given with a view to propogating the 
gospel by the induction of persons into the 
teaching and pastoral office, in which Tim- 
othy is charged "the same commit thou to 
faithful men." So that the eldership is left 
no choice in the matter whatever. The in- 
itial fact to be determined is, "is the candi- 
date a man?" If not a man they have no 
warrant for proceeding farther. 

Among the qualifications which the script- 
ures mention as prerequisite to the office 
are those which are peculiar to man and 
differentiate him from woman. "He is to 
rule well his own house, having his child- 
ren in subjection with all gravity." This is 
a prerogative which time and again in the 
scriptures is placed upon the father. He 
must be "given to hospitality" and "a lov- 
er of good men." In view of such things the 
world and even the church is not yet ready 
to see woman voluntarily undertaking to 
discharge these duties, as they must be dis- 
charged by men, without there being lurk- 
ing suspicions of improprieties if not open 



TO THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

suggestions of scandal. 

The bishop must also be "the husband of 
one wife" (Tit. 1:6). Whatever interpreta- 
tion you place upon the passage, whether 
you regard it as maudatory, requiring the 
pastor to be married; or prohibitory, as for- 
bidding polygamy and allowing one wife; 
or whether you regard it as a deliverance 
favoring monogamy as over against digamy; 
still in its ultimate analysis the principle 
will require that the approved candidate for 
the pastorate must have the natural and 
social prerequisites to being a husband. 



SECTION 3. THE SCRIPTURAL PROHIBITION. 

Faithfully interpreted the scriptures pos- 
itively and specifically prohibit the ordina- 
tion of woman to the pastorate. In I Tim. 
2:11-12 we have the literal declaration of 
the Spirit on this question. "Let the wo- 
man learn in quietness with all subjection. 
But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to 
have dominion over a man, but to learn in 
quietness." (Eevised version.) The reasons 
for the wisdom of this direction were am- 
ple to the mind of the Spirit, and they 
should be to us. The writer prefers not to 
be wise above what is written. 

We are met with the rejoinder that that 
declaration is simply Paul's conception of 
the proprieties of the occasion, and his in- 
terpretation of Christ's idea of church offi- 
cials. For the sake of argument let it be 
granted that it is Paul's interpretation of 
Christ's mind. And as for the writer he will 
accept and peacefully rest upon the inter- 
pretation given to scripture by an inspired 



72 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

man of the first century rather than the in- 
terpretation of any uninspired person of 
the nineteenth century. 

It is claimed that this apparent exclusion 
of women from the office of a bishop is due 
to the state of women, the peculiar social 
conditions of the age and the conception 
which humanity had of the sphere of wo- 
men. That all these are changed now, that 
women have become equally efficient with 
men, and that society no longer holds im- 
proper many things done by women which 
once were thought so, and that there is a 
constantly enlarging sphere in which wo- 
men make their powers felt. We are will- 
ing to grant pretty much all that may be 
said about the elevation, efficiency and op- 
portunity of women; but that has nothing 
to do whatever with the passage or ques- 
tion in hand. A careful reading of the pas- 
sage will reveal that Paul carries the argu- 
ment back of his own century, back of all 
the centuries, and locates the fundamental 
reason for this order in church economy in 
Eden. "For Adam was first formed, then 
Eve." He finds its justification in the logi- 
cal order of creation as established bv the 



THE SCRIPTURAL PROHIBITION. 73 

sovereign will of God. It is due to the re- 
lations then fixed by God as existing be- 
tween man and woman. To man was given 
the headship; to woman the helpship. This 
headship of the man over the woman is not 
a headship growing out of peculiar social 
conditions, as a rude condition of life and 
a warlike state of society, but a headship 
definitely assigned by God to man, and for 
reasons, all of which it has not pleased him 
yet to make known to us. 

This headship of man is a relation in no 
degree due to the earthly conditions of sin 
or the imperfect judgments of fellow crea- 
tures upon each other. Woman's position 
of subordination and helpship was her po- 
sition before sin had disordered human re- 
lations, before selfishness had blinded man 
to the natural rights of woman and before 
the curse had blighted life's joy into bitter- 
ness. It is the purpose of redemption to re- 
store to man and woman all that they lost 
by the fall. To restore Edenic holiness and 
Edenic prerogatives. The ideal state for 
woman in character and sphere of life is a 
realization of those Edenic experiences 
which antedate the serpent's interview. 



74 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

In the primal Paradise God ordained the 
subordination of woman, and in the exer- 
cise of the same omniscience he appointed 
those differences of nature which make her 
subordination inevitable. Dr. Strong pro- 
nounces it "the greatest heresy of modern 
radicalism to denounce as barbarism the di- 
vinely appointed relation of the sexes. " 

Headship in man and helpship in woman 
is God's prescribed and all-time-long intend- 
ed relation of the sexes. Positive prohibi- 
tion is thereby placed upon any effort to 
reverse these relations in any sphere of life. 
But to ordain woman to the pastorate is to 
place her in a position of authority over 
man, specifically interdicted by God. 

In I Cor. 14:34 Paul, discussing the ques- 
tion of public ministry as well as certain 
qualifications of those who are to serve in 
the public congregations of believers, directs 
that "your women keep silence in the 
churches: for it is not permitted unto them 
to speak; but they are commanded to be in 
obedience, as also saith the law." 

For this instruction he assigns two rea- 
sons. First, such habits and practices did 
not conform themselves to the conceptions 



THE SCRIPTURAL PROHIBITION. 76 

of regularity and decorum held by the be- 
lievers. These actions and efforts were de- 
nied to women in the synagogue of the 
Jews, and in the christian churches it was 
unlawful for it was 4 mot permitted unto 
them to speak." This, the apostle teaches, 
is the order of christion service held and 
practiced by the churches everywhere. It 
was a primal principle in primitive church 
polity. And, secondly, this is not simply 
the question of women speaking in meet- 
ing, but involves the fact of women speak- 
ing in such a way as to assume a measure 
of independence of their husbands, and of 
authority over men. It is a violation of the 
revealed attitude of the wife to the husband 
as is clearly stated in I Pet. 3:1, "Likewise, 
ye wives, be in subjection to your own hus- 
bands", and also in I Cor. 11:3, Eph. 5:22 
and Titus 2:5. The apostle's specific defence 
for the position taken is that the conduct 
under consideration was such that the wo- 
men thereby did violence to the great prin- 
ciple of the subordination of woman to man 
in that revealed economy through which 
God would save and sanctify the race. Any 
act or position upon the part of woman by 



76 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

which she assumes authority over man in 
the family and church relations is distinctly 
forbidden God's children. But the pastor- 
ate is a position of authority and from the 
exercise of its functions woman is by the 
inspired word consequently interdicted. 

The mere fact of speaking in public reli- 
gious assemblies when the element of as- 
suming and exerting authority over man is 
not involved is not, by this passage, prohi- 
bited; indeed the passage makes no deliver- 
ance concerning it at all. For instruction 
on that point we must look elsewhere. 

The apostle adds also that the same prin- 
ciple governing the relations of the sexes 
appertains under the gospel which was op- 
erative under the law. The position of au- 
thority, as also of subjection, remains the 
same under the dispensation of Christ as it 
did under the dispensation of Moses. Neither 
the really nor the apparently greater bless- 
ings and opportunities coming to woman 
under the sanctifying power of the gospel 
can in any way alter the relative position 
assigned to her by God in the day of primal 
holiness in the garden. It is the same now 
"as also under the law." At least such is 



THE SCRIPTURAL PROHIBITION. 77 

the inspired statement, according to the 
apostle Paul. 

In Eph. 5:23 we have inspiration affirm- 
ing the headship of man to the woman, and 
then giving a practical illustration of what 
is in the divine mind. This is the infallible 
argument. "The head of every man is 
Christ; the head of the woman is the man; 
and the head of Christ is God." You will 
note the significance of the parallelism. Be- 
tween God and Christ there is an equality 
of nature and yet in his office work as the 
great Atoner he was subordinate to God ; so 
woman in the element of nature is fully 
equal to man, but she holds an office of sub- 
ordination to man. 

We are under obligation to oppose the 
ordination of woman to the pastorate be- 
cause her true position in the divine social 
and ecclesiastical economy is not to be de- 
termined merely by our personal desires as 
to her status; not by the social conscious- 
ness of this age, or any age; not by our 
processes of ratioscination through which 
we seek to declare the potentialities of her 
character and the possibilities of her life; 
but by the inspired conception of her place 



78 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

and powers as that conception is written in 
the constitution of her nature, revealed in 
the Book by the deliverances which Spirit- 
moved men have been directed to utter, and 
as it is photographed for us in early Eden. 
With that condition heaven was delighted; 
with it you and I should be satisfied. 

Expediency and revelation deny to wo- 
man aspirations to the office of the bishop, 
and forbid the eldership to lay the hands in 
ordination of woman to the pastorate. 

In this refusal of ordination there is not, 
in fact or in intention, the slightest meas- 
ure of disrespect for woman or of favorit- 
ism for man. In all ages women have ex- 
ceeded men in their devotion to Christ's 
service and their willingness to suffer for 
his name. Let this hand be palsied sooner 
than allow it to minimize the miracles of 
divine grace manifest in woman through 
all the ages. Her Chris tliness has often been 
such that its shoe's latchet the writer is not 
worth} 7 to stoop down and unloose. This 
preeminent merit may well be regarded as 
a kind of an ordination by God to special 
fields of work wherein such qualities are 
most needed, and where they may return 



THE SCRIPTURAL PROHIBITION. 79 

to our Lord and Savior their largest possble 
fruitage. 

For almost all the numerous forms of 
church activity in which woman is now en- 
gaged, except the pastorate, there is scrip- 
tural warrant. The interdict upon her en- 
tering the pastorate does not prohibit her 
from occupying these forms of service as 
could be shown did the purpose of this es- 
say contemplate such a discussion. 



CHAPTER IV. 

SOME MEDITATIONS WHILE UNDER 

CROSS-EXAMINATION. 

The substance of chapters two and three 
has been read before several ministerial 
gatherings and drawn out certain comments 
and criticisms. In the symposium which 
follows this chapter certain considerations 
are also advanced by various brethren as 
having a bearing upon the question in hand. 
Without catagorically or formally stating 
those objections thus raised to the position 
of the essayist, this chapter undertakes to 
meet the objections as well as to throw ad- 
ditional light upon certain interpretations 
of scripture which, in the essay, have been 
assumed. 

I. 

There is serious danger of our erring a- 
long the line of assigning to circumstances 
and conditions too large an influence over 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 81 

the matter of revelation. It must be kept 
distinctly in mind that revelation comes out 
from God and is consequently independent, 
as to its matter, of earthly conditions. These 
circumstances and conditions may measur- 
ably determine the form in which it shall 
please the Father to present the revelation, 
but not the matter of that revelation. In so 
far as they had anything to do with revela- 
tion all the conditions, circumstances and 
methods of the apostolic age were manful- 
ly confronted by God's inspired servants 
and called forth through those servants such 
messages from God as met the existing 
needs; but being divine teachings their in- 
structions were lifted out of the realm of 
the merely temporary and passed over into 
the sphere of the permanent. They were 
equally teachings for all time; founded in 
the very nature of man, as also the primal 
principles of the divine economy, and were 
in no essential sense modified by the acci- 
dents of social conditions, governmental 
policies or personal habits. Circumstances, 
conditions and methods of the ages can in 
no way alter the great principles of true 
ecclesiastical economy. 



82 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

II. 

It is a grave mistake, one which does 
dishonor to Paul's self mastery as well as 
to the office work of the Holy Spirit in the 
experience of inspiration, to suppose that 
Paul's deliverances concerning the place 
and work of women were prompted or de- 
termined by a prejudice which he entertain- 
ed against woman. For, 

(a) It has not been shown, with any meas- 
ure of certitude, that he entertained any 
such prejudice against woman as that af- 
firmation would imply. 

(b) Much less has it been proven that this 
great teacher was capable of allowing his 
prejudice, if he had any, to control him iu 
the expression of religious truth. 

(c) Such an hypothesis would indicate 
that the Holy Spirit was limited in his ope- 
rations when he put on man and there came 
a voice with heavenly authority, — so lim- 
ited that he could not sufficiently subdue 
human prejudice as to secure a faithful ex- 
pression of the divine mind. A proposition 
which cannot for a moment be entertained. 

(d) Paul anticipates just such criticism 
upon the part of certain captious ones and 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 83 

by inspiration replies to it that these things 
which he has spoken concerning the place 
of woman in the polity of the church are 
not simply the expression of his personal 
tastes in the matter but that they "are the 
commandments of the Lord" (I Cor. 14:37). 

III. 

The Holy Spirit is not in the believer or 
in the church for the purpose of making 
new revelations; in the sense of additional, 
revolutionary and corrective revelation. The 
canon of divine revelation was long ago 
completed. And his highest function is to 
take of the already revealed things of God 
and show them unto us. The great facts 
of God's grace and the great principles upon 
which he builds up and governs his kingdom 
are now outlined in the Word. The Para- 
clete's purpose is to bring these to the light 
where they may by God's children be clear- 
ly perceived. The dispensation of the Spirit 
does not involve any violence to the dispen- 
sation of the Father or the Son. If the de- 
liverances which we receive are contrary to 
the present revealed word it is some other 
spirit than the divine Comforter which is 



84 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

stirring up our minds. Brethren, "try the 
spirits whether they be of God." 

IV. 

There are certain great facts stated in the 
word of God as designating the relation of 
Spirit-born souls to him and his kingdom; 
but that is a very different thing from stat- 
ing the status of those souls before the heav- 
en ordained institutions of that kingdom. 
In certain passages as "neither male nor 
female" (Gal. 3:28), "Where the Spirit of 
the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Cor. 3:17), 
and "the same is my brother, and sister, and 
mother" (Matt. 12:50), is simply affirmed 
that the processes of regeneration take place 
absolutely regardless of sex, and that the 
oneness of the Spirit is stronger than the 
oneness of blood. We are neither male nor 
female, parent nor child, in the great spirit- 
ual kingdom of God as we stand individually 
related to Christ, for so he has declared it, 
and that with us is the end of the contro- 
versy; but that is a very different thing 
from stating the status of humanity before 
God's institutions in time and this world by 
which he proposes to bring souls back to 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 85 

himself. 

All artificially established distinctions 
such as "bond" and "free" are by the gos- 
pel obliterated. That, certainly, is evident 
from the passage in the letter to the Gala- 
tions. But this, however, makes no altera- 
tion in natural distinctions which are rooted 
inihe very divine order of creation. These 
can not cease unless God violate the great 
laws of his own creations. Among the nat- 
ural distinctions are the headship of man 
and the helpship of woman; the regnancy 
of the male and the subordination of the 
female. This, as well as other similar pas- 
sages, does not level those natural differen- 
ces which are as old as Eden's first inhab- 
itants; neither does it elevate woman in the 
order of nature. The ordination of woman 
to the pastorate implies a reversal of that 
order, and consequently a violation of the 
revealed plan. 

V. 

A deep conviction of duty to preach the 
gospel is in no sense a justification of ones 
claim or a complete title to ordination. 

(a) Conviction is not inerrancy; profound 



86 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

conviction is not infallibility; conscientious- 
ness at fever-heat is not inspiration. Noth- 
ing is more conclusively demonstrated in 
the history of religious life than that con- 
viction and conscientiousness may be mis- 
taken. 

(b) Ordination is not absolutely necessary 
to the preaching of the gospel; even the 
preaching of the gospel with large efficiency. 
Mr. Mood) 7 has never been ordained. Every 
regenerate person, man or woman, is called 
of God to announce the good tidings of 
salvation through Jesus Christ, to all with 
whom they come in contact. It is a most 
hopeful indication when every pardoned 
soul becomes a preacher of the great Pardon- 
er. Pastors are not privileged or command- 
ed to do all the preaching any more than 
they are to do all the practicing. 

(c) If the conviction of duty to preach 
implied the right to be ordained the mission 
of a council would be resolved into a kind 
of a dignified and ornamental ceremonial- 
ism. But the inspired writers and the pro- 
vidences of God never contemplated that a 
body of God-called and God -commissioned 
men should turn aside from their great work 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 87 

of evangelizing the world and pose for a day 
as mere automatons. A council is some- 
thing more than an automatic ecclesiasti- 
cal machine for giving effect and publicity 
to a candidate's decision. 

VI, 

It is not the employment or the preroga- 
tive of the children of God to amend or ad- 
just the New Testament Church polity to 
suit the spirit of the times, though that 
spirit may loudly demand such an adjust- 
ment to accommodate some aspiring wo- 
men. Our business is to amend the times and 
bring them into harmony with the letter 
and the spirit of the gospel. There is to be 
no pruning down, accommodating and ex- 
plaining- away process. The inspired order 
must be boldly proclaimed and tenaciously 
held. For every action must find its ulti- 
mate test in the touch -stone of scripture. 
Whatever is clearly contrary to scripture 
must certainly be rejected, and whatever 
lacks speciffic scriptural commandment, 
precept or confirmation must be sharply 
scrutinized as to whether it is out of sym- 
pathy with the great general principles and 



88 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

methods of revelation, or their drift and 
trend. 

VII. 

The effort to account for such utterances 
touching the religious sphere of woman as 
are found in I Tim. 2:12-15 and I Cor. 14:34 
on the ground of the character of the wom- 
en to whom the reference is made, that 
they were lacking in self-control, garrulous 
and thoughtless as children, and that be- 
cause these elements were in their character 
they were forbidden to speak in public, is 
without proof and altogether gratuitous. 
The effort to give to the instruction of the 
apostle a local and temporary character is 
also purest speculation. When he based a 
prohibition on temporary exigency he stat- 
ed the fact in unmistakable terms (I Cor. 
7:6, 12). In the absence of the formal state- 
ment by the author of such limitations we 
must accept his teachings as inspired and 
binding for all time. 

VIII. 

It is urged by some that Paul's "it is not 
permitted unto them to speak," of I Cor. 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. .89 

14:34, has reference to noisy "chattering." 
Such an interpretation of the word ' 'speak" 
is, however, entirely unwarranted. The late 
Dr. J. A. Broadus points out that while the 
original term may occasionally have had 
that significance in classical Greek there is 
no clear example of any such use of it in 
Biblical Greek. It is indiscriminately appli- 
ed to prophets, Luke 24:25; apostles, II Cor. 
2:17, Heb. 2:12, Jas. 2:12, I Pet. 4:11, II 
John 12; the Holy Ghost, Acts 28:25; the 
Savior, Matt. 28:18, and God, John 9:29. 
In view of these facts the rendering of the 
word as "chatter" is entirely inadmissible. 
The act here designated by the word * 'speak" 
is public utterance in a position of authority. 

The effort to evade the consequences of 
the Holy Spirit's dictum, as voiced by Paul 
in this direction to the church at Corinth, 
on the ground that the women at Corinth 
were illiterate and immoral is a determina- 
tion based on pure assumption. 

(a) There is no evidence which has yet 
been produced that the female membership 
of the church at Corinth were illiterate, or 
any more immoral than the men. Facts 
must be proven and put in evidence before 



90 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

an argument can be built upon them. 

(b) That it is not a case of special legisla- 
tion designed to meet the peculiar exigen- 
cies at Corinth is evident from the apostle's 
intimation as to the custom among the 
churches, "it is not permitted." 

(c) That the restriction is not due to local 
conditions is also evident from the fact that 
a similar injunction is served upon the 
church in Ephesus through their pastor 
(I Tim. 2:11) in which the reason for the 
injunction is carried back to the history of 
creation and the divinely appointed relation 
of the sexes. 

IX. 

Paul's doctrine of the silence of women 
as authoritative public religious teachers, 
and their consequent ineligibility to the 
pastorate, is in no manner or measure out 
of harmony with the work which he evi- 
dently commends as having been done by 
women alone or in conjunction with man as, 
for example, the case of Aquila and Pris- 
cilla in their labor for Apollos when they 
took him to their own home and explained 
to him more perfectly the way of the Lord 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 91 

(Acts 18:26), or the plea which he makes 
that the brethren at Philippi give proper 
succor to the women which had labored 
with him in the gospel (Phil. 4:3), or the 
tenderly beautiful eulogy which he pays to 
the mother and grandmother of Timothy 
because of the faith which dwelt in each of 
them (II Tim. 1:5). 

(a) We can not think of an inspired writ- 
er as doing or teaching things which are ir- 
reconcilable. The contradiction, at most, 
is only an apparent one. Fuller and fairer 
vision will reveal the harmony. Our inter- 
pretation of one, or possibly both, of the 
passages is erroneous. When correct inter- 
pretations are had seeming contradictions 
will disappear. An uninspired author has 
the right to expect of us that his utterances 
shall be given such interpretation as shall 
not make them inconsistent the one with 
the other, if such an interpretation is possi- 
ble. Certainly the inspired author can ask 
as much. 

(b) The Holy Spirit is speaking in these 
passages as truly as Paul. To intimate that 
he would give expression to things which 
are inconsistent or inharmonious is too 



92 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

shocking for the reverent soul to contem- 
plate. 

(c) The teaching of Priscilla was in the 
privacy of her own home, against which in- 
spiration lifts up no protest. Such work any 
woman may do if she feels able and willing, 
and there is of record not one christian who 
has contended against such a service. The 
virtues and graces which the apostle so high- 
ly commends in Lois and Eunice were those 
of a private nature. They were women who 
understood and had accepted a large meas- 
ure of that "faith once delivered to the 
saints," and who exercised great personal 
faith in the revealed facts which they had 
apprehended. Their attitude toward Timo- 
thy and their helpfulness to him is distinct- 
ly referred to as that which grew out from 
the home life, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 
"Thy grandmother' and "thy mother" in- 
timate just such thought in the apostle's 
mind. 

(d) Just what the service was which Euo- 
dias and Syntyche performed when they 
labored with Paul in the gospel we are not 
informed. They may have been commend - 
ably active in the private and retired walks 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 93 

of life. But if it was prominent and public 
service which they rendered, it was still 

(a) Service which recognized the author- 
ity and leadership of Paul, and 

(b) Service attending which there is not 
the slightest evidence that either one of them 
was a pastor, or was ordained. 

(e) So that while the inspired teacher fa- 
vors and encourages certain forms of christ- 
ian activity by women, he, by the same in- 
spiration, forbids their induction into such 
a position and office of authority as is the 
pastorate. All that which these women did 
was possible of performance and yet there 
be no infringement upon the principle in 
the mind of the Holy Spirit when he directs 
Paul to formulate the doctrine of the ' 'si- 
lence of the women in the churches." The 
teaching of the apostle is thoroughly con- 
sistent from beginning to close. 

X. 

In the instruction given both to Timothy 
(I Tim. 3:1-2) and Titus (Titus 1 :6) with ref- 
erence to the eligibility of aspirants to the 
office of a bishop the statement is "if a man 
desire the office of a bishop." The term 



94 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

"man" is here used specifically, as setting 
him apart from and over against woman. 
For the Holy Ghost immediately enters up- 
on the discussion of the wife of the aspi- 
rant, which he could do only upon the hy- 
pothesis that the women are not, in his 
mind, included in the term translated 
"man." The contention that the term 
"man" is used in its generic sense, as in- 
cluding both males and females, can not be 
accepted and, consequently, the effort to es- 
tablish the eligibility of woman to the pas- 
torate on the plea that she is of the genus 
homo finds no warrant in these passages. 

XI. 

The fact that Christ no where literally 
states that woman is ineligible to the pas- 
torate is thoroughly irrelevant. There was 
no necessity that he should single out and 
specify those who were ineligible; it is 
enough that he has indicated the eligible. 
He founded and established a certain order 
of work and experiences which were to abide 
in the dispensation he ushered in, until he 
should come again. His utterances, there- 
fore, and not his silences are the criteria by 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 95 

which our conduct is to be determined. The 
absence of the formal forbidding by Jesus 
of the ordination of women to the pastorate 
can in no measure be regarded as indicating 
a sympathy upon his part with such a pro- 
ceedure. 

XII. 

The co-ordination of men and women to 
the pastorate finds no support whatever 
from the passages in the New Testament 
which distinctly state that women exercised 
the prophetic function, as in Acts 2:17-18 
and Acts 21:9. 

(a) Prophesying in the New Testament 
means the speaki?ig by divine inspiration. 
For this work men and women were chosen 
of God in the exercise of his sovereign will, 
which he had a perfect right to do, not- 
withstanding any relative positions which 
he previously may have assigned them in 
his revealed social order. This choice he 
could make and yet in no way violate or ab- 
rogate the permanent order of life estab- 
lished in Eden. Having particularly chosen 
them he specifically endowed them by the 
gift of the Holy Spirit for the work com- 



96 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

mitted to them. 

(b) The prophetic function was then nec- 
essary that the children of men might have 
authoritative instruction on questions of du- 
ty, faith and practice; for the New Testa- 
ment was not yet fully written or compiled 
as the inerrant guide in matters religious. 
The distinctly prophetic gift of that age has 
ceased. We have the New Testament and 
it will do for us all that the ' 'prophesying" 
of the first century did for the church of 
that age. Since the office of the New Tes- 
tament prophet no longer exists, and the 
distinctive work of the prophet has not been 
committed to another, the passage can have 
no bearing whatever upon the prerogatives 
and privileges of women in this age, and 
consequently no part in marking her eligi- 
bility to the pastorate. 

(c) If, however, any woman of this day 
can give evidence of special prophetic inspi- 
ration so that she can speak with that pe- 
culiar divine authority which characterized 
the "prophesying" of the apostolic age we 
shall joyfully hear and gladly heed her mes- 
sage. Such a person has not yet, in this 
generation, been manifest. And were she 



UNDER CROSSrEXAMINATION. 97 

to appear there would still be lacking evi- 
dence from the New Testament that God 
intended her to fill the office of the pastor; 
for with all the prophetic activity with which 
they are credited the inspired record does 
not represent them as pastors. The evan- 
gelist Philip had four daughters who posses- 
sed the gift of prophesy; but there is no re- 
cord that either of them ever filled the office 
of a pastor. 

(d) That women were prophetesses under 
the Old Testament and directed to prophesy 
under the New Testament age argues noth- 
ing peculiarly Christian. The exercise of 
this function under the gospel dispensation 
does not argue any special advancement or 
elevation of woman by reason of christian 
influences. Women were prophets under 
the Mohammedans, the ancient Greeks and 
the old Saxons, but neither of these present- 
ed such social conditions as were especially 
complimentary or favorable to woman. 

XIII. 

The passage in John 20:19-23 has no ref- 
erence to church officials as distinguished 
form private members. It states the great 



98 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

blessing, mission and purpose of the body 
of believers. The possible presence of wom- 
en at that gathering can not legitimately 
be construed as inspired sympathy with the 
ordination of women as pastors in order to 
propogate the gospel. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit that night was 
not the enduement of the church as a body 
in any such sense as to make that body au- 
thoritative in delivering new or correcting 
the old revelation from God. The office 
work of the Spirit is to take and apply the 
truth already revealed from God. 

XIV. 

Let woman take whatever position she 
may, public teaching or otherwise, so long 
as she does not violate womanly modesty 
or mutiny against the place of subordination 
assigned her in the divine socialism. For 
where personal conviction and providential 
openings seem to impel women to positions 
of public leadership duty must be obeyed 
and work done, but do not ask that the 
canons of scripture be violated that she may 
enter upon her work. 



UNDER CROSS-EXAMINATION. 99 

XV. 

Valuable and reliable as the intuitions of 
man may often be, neither these nor the 
court of the religious consciousness have 
absolute competency to consider the issues 
involved in the question of the ordination 
of woman to the pastorate. The court of 
final jurisdiction is, and must always be, 
the "law and the testimony." The last ap- 
peal must be to the "in the volume of the 
book it is written," and the ultimate judg- 
ment is to be, by us, acquiesced in "because 
it is written." 



CHAPTER V. 
THE SYMPOSIUM. 

Sometime since the author mailed to seve- 
ral of his ministerial brethren the following 
questions : 

1. What scriptural authority is there for the ordi- 
nation of women to the Baptist ministry ? Cite the 
passages. 

2. Are there scriptural deliverances which, in your 
judgment, appear to be, or are specifically, out of 
sympathy with the ordination of women to the Bap- 
tist ministry ? Cite the passages. 

3. Should the ordination of women to the Baptist 
ministry be determined by the changed circumstan- 
ces, conditions and methods of this age, as compared 
with the first century ? 

4. In your judgment is it desirable for a council 
to advise a church to ordain a woman to the Baptist 
ministry ? 

The views of the brethren were requested 
upon these interrogations, as it was thought 
that these propositions would furnish all 
the criteria necessary to settle the question 
as to whether in the churches and the min- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 101 

istry of our State there was such a convic- 
tion as would warrant any council in advis- 
ing a church to proceed to ordain a woman 
to the pastorate. 

The responses have been frank and in ma- 
ny cases very full, and reveal many varying 
shades of opinion held upon various aspects 
of the case. 

The symposium is a representative one 
and presents a fair concensus of the opinion 
of the Baptist ministry of New York State. 
In it are the views of pastors who see the 
practical side of the question, as well as the 
views of the professors in our Theological 
schools who are familiar also with the the- 
oretical aspects of the case. Every section 
of the State, and pretty much every Asso- 
ciation has a voice in some pastor who has 
contributed his opinion. The pastor of many 
years experience as well as the brethren just 
entering upon their work add their thought. 
The pastors of city churches and also coun- 
try churches, of large churches as also small 
churches have given us their views. Pretty 
much every aspect of our church life as rep- 
resented by the pastoral office has a voice in 
this parliament. The views which are, or 



102 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

seem to be, at variance with those of the 
author are given as fully as they were pre- 
sented in the correspondence. 

The symposium will be found worth} 7 of 
a careful reading, not only for the light which 
it throws upon the special question in 
mind, but for the incidental bearing which 
some portions of it have upon certain very 
live questions of the day. 

REV. GEO. D. ADAMS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 

1. I find no scripture that would in itself 
justify the ordination of women to the Bap- 
tist ministry. Hardly, Luke 2:36-37. 

2. We are not now under the conditions 
that obtained in Paul's day and doubtless 
much that he said against woman taking a 
public part in a public meeting would have 
been omitted or said in a different way had 
our conditions prevailed then ; but I believe 
there is still a fundimental truth underlying 
these passages, viz: I Cor. 14:34-35, I Tim. 
2:8-15. 

3. It would hardly be safe to do this. We 
claim as Baptists to hold so far as possible 
to the direct teachings of the Word. It is a 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 103 

common danger that all churches are fac- 
ing, — this substitution of man's for God's 
authority on the plea of change in times. 
The worst anti-Christ heresies of the day 
have sprung from the brain of woman, 
notably * 'Christian Science." 

4. No. 

I am still in doubt about the work done 
by the women mentioned in Rom. 16:1-16. 
I am not yet prepared to say that there 
were any of them preachers, nor to say 
they were not. 

REV. F. L. ANDERSON, PASTOR OF THE 2nd 
BAPTIST CHURCH, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

1. None. 2. Yes. 3. No. 4. No. 

REV. JOHN TREVE BARBER, PASTOR OF THE 

BAPTIST CHURCH, WALTON, N. Y., AND 

HONORARY LOCAL SECRETARY 

PALESTINE EXPLORATION 

FUND. 

1. I do not know of any scriptural au- 
thority, therefore cite none. 

2. So far as I can see, the question is not 
contemplated in the scriptures; therefore 
no passages. 

3. I think that some of the Pauline ref- 



104 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

erences to woman must be interpreted in 
the light of local and oriental conditions; 
so that, changed circumstances might be 
taken into account, but not to such an ex- 
tent as to lead to contravention of principles 
or teachings of the word of God. 

I gladly welcome the larger measure of 
liberty for service now enjoyed by women 
and do not object to their speaking in pub- 
lic under some circumstances, but the ques- 
tion of ordination to the ministry is more 
far reaching than that. 

It is conceivable that ethical and physio- 
logical questions may have to be considered 
in connection with the matter. 

4. From the light I have, I think that it 
is not advisible. 

I may add to this that it appears to me 
that the nature and constitution of woman 
concur with revelation in proclaiming her 
pre-eminent in the social realm, in which 
her strength and her far reaching interests 
may sometimes lead her into some public 
sphere, and allied interests — educational, 
religious and political — may bring her into 
prominence in these respective ways. 

She may teach, and even preach under 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 105 

some circumstances, but that she should be 
ordained to the regular ministry and to the 
supreme position of the pastorate does not, 
I think, necessarily follow. I remember that 
Phoebe was a faithful servant of the church, 
that Persis labored much in the Lord and 
that Priscilla was eminent as a teacher of 
Apollos. 

REV. G. W. BARNES, PASTOR OP THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, WOODHULL, N. Y. 

1. I know of none. 

2. I know of none. 

3. If at all, by changed conditions. 

4. That is for the council to decide. 

I am in full sympathy with woman's 
work in our churches and think they should 
be on all our Boards. Still I see no call for 
ordaining a woman to the ministry. 

REV. W. F. BENEDICT, PASTOR OF THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, PRATTSBURG, N. Y. 

1. I do not find any scripture warrant for 
such church action. 

2. I deem such action contrary to much 
of Paul's teachings, -especially in Cor. and 
other texts too numerous to quote, opposed 



106 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

to the general tenor of Paul's epistles rath- 
er than to any one text. 

3. I think not, by any means. 

4. In my opinion decidedly not. 

REV. W. C. BITTING, D. D., PASTOR OP THE 
MOUNT MORRIS BAPTIST CHURCH, 
NEW YORK CITY. 

If I were a literalist in the interpretation 
of the Scriptures, and thought that the Bi- 
ble was a book of rules, rather than of prin- 
ciples, I should answer that it is thorough- 
ly wrong to allow women to teach in public. 

However, I do not believe in literalism. 
As the matter lies in my mind at the pres- 
ent time, it is somehow in this fashion. 
There were certain social customs of the 
day in which Paul lived, the violation of 
which marked the woman as being outside 
of the bounds of decent society. The prin- 
ciple which underlies all his prohibitions in 
relation to women, both as to their partici- 
pation in the public meeting, and in regard 
to their opportunities &c, is simply that 
they are to conform to the customs of the 
day, so far as these relate to proprieties of 
conduct. They are not to bring suspicion 
upon themselves, and upon the new move- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 107 

ment, which will eventually emancipate 
them from their bondage, by acting in defi- 
ance of certain well established conventual 
customs which the society in their day had 
agreed upon. I think this states the prin- 
ciple that covers all the cases. 

But there seems to be in the mind of Paul 
certain deeper thoughts concerning the es- 
sential relation of the man to the woman, 
and the distinct place which the woman is 
to fill in the world. Exactly what this is I 
am not yet prepared to speak definitely 
upon. 

Here I would say that nature has a voice, 
which is the voice of God. There is some- 
thing in the inherent fitness of things, and 
if Paul declares in the first chapter of Eom- 
ans that the heathen can know about God 
from the material universe, and in the sec- 
ond chapter that they can know the law of 
God written in their own hearts and con- 
sciences, I see no difficulty in believing in 
the divinity of those normal intuitions, 
which we all feel concerning the spheres of 
man and woman. No doubt the customs of 
the day have changed, and now no one 
thinks of looseness of character for the 



108 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

woman because she takes off her hat in a 
public assemblage, or has short hair, or 
speaks out in our social prayer meetings, or 
addresses public gatherings. And yet, when 
one thinks about the setting apart of a wom- 
an to perform all the functions of the min- 
istry, there instinctively arises this concep- 
tion of the place of women in the world, 
which remon states against such proceedings. 
I think that we would all rebel against the 
thought of a woman performing the ordi- 
nance of baptism, especially upon a man. 
The same shudder comes over many of us 
when we think of the exaltation of woman 
to this official position in the church. 

I very well know that the four daughters 
of Philip, the evangelist, were New Testa- 
ment prophetesses, but it is one thing for a 
woman to tell a truth, as the function of the 
prophet and prophetess was, and quite an- 
other thing for them to hold an official po- 
sition in the church of Christ, like that of 
pastor or preacher. There is no instance in 
the New Testament of anything of this kind. 
The office of deaconess was one full of ser- 
vice, but women were not charged with the 
entire responsibility of proclaiming the 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 109 

message. 

The entire question to me seems to lie in 
the conception of the place of woman in the 
world, and in the relation of her introduc- 
tion into the office of the ministry to the 
ideas and customs of our time. Upon these 
grounds, as the matter now lies in my mind, 
I do not think I could conscientiously vote 
for the ordination of a woman to the minis- 
try in any of our Baptist Councils. When 
the relation of her strength and mental tem- 
perament, and weaknesses to the pulpit are 
considered, I find still further ground for 
the present conviction. 

REV. A. W. BOURN, D. D., PASTOR OP THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, GLOVERSVILLE, N. Y. 

1. I find no scriptural authority. 

2. Yes. "I suffer not a woman to teach 
or usurp authority over a man." Woman is 
man's equal, bat in the divine plan is sub- 
ordinate. She best fulfils her being by not 
unsexing herself, which she must do essen- 
tially if a bishop. She should be the wife of 
one husband, according to scripture, for the 
rule must work both ways. Thus her office 
as a wife would naturally interfere with her 



110 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

office as bishop, especially if she were to be- 
come a mother. It would not be the best 
thing for a woman to be obliged to retire 
several months from public life, while an 
ordained minister of the gospel. Very few 
women are fitted by physique to master an 
audience, or endure the strain and grind of 
a busy pastor's life, to say nothing of ad- 
ministering the ordinance of baptism to a 
man weighing two hundred and fifty 
pounds. 

3. There are no conditions enough chang- 
ed to warrant us in changing what seems 
the scriptural, divine and common- sense or- 
der of things. 

If women were largely ordained to the 
ministry the Church would become a wom- 
an's institution entire. A man certainly 
will have more power over men and women 
too. The need of the church to-day is men. 

4. Most decidedly, No ! 

REV. GEO. H. BRIGHAM, CORTLAND, N. Y. 

1. I know of no scriptural authority, ei- 
ther as explicit instruction, legitimate in- 
ference or historical precedent, for the or- 
dination of woman for the ministrv of the 



THE SYMPOSIUM. Ill 

Baptist denomination, or any other Christ- 
ian denomination. 

2. The fact that the scriptures do explic- 
itly enjoin the ordination, or setting apart, 
of men for the pastoral care, leadership and 
instruction of the churches, minutely set- 
ting forth essential characteristics and qual- 
ifications of men for that sacred office, 
meanwhile without a reference to women 
as eligible to that office, and at the same 
time giving explicit and minute instruction 
as to the sphere and manner of woman's 
work in and for the church, amounts to 
positive, inspired instruction that it was 
not intended that women should be by or- 
dination set apart for the pastoral office. 

3. I know of no changed circumstances, 
conditions or methods warranting a depart- 
ure from apostolic, inspired instruction and 
precedent; or changed interpretation of New 
Testament teaching upon this subject in fa- 
vor of such ordination; neither have chang- 
ed conditions obviated the natural, social, 
domestic and physical obstacles in the way 
of a proper and successful performance by 
women of the manifold and unceasing du- 
ties of the pastoral office. 



112 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

4. In view of the foregoing, and other 
obvious reasons, I do not consider it as ad- 
missable and, if not admissable, certainly 
not right to ordain women as pastors of 
churches. 

While thus asserting my convictions upon 
this subject, I would exercise a broad christ- 
ian liberality in regard to active christian 
service by woman in any sphere to which 
by God and nature she is adapted. 

REV. S. BURNHAM, D. D., DEAN OF THE 

HAMILTON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 

HAMILTON, N. Y. 

1. I know of no scriptural authority for 
the ordination of women to the Baptist 
ministry. 

2. There are scriptural deliverances which 
are specifically out of sympathy with the 
ordination of women to the Baptist minis- 
try; e. g., I Tim. 2:12, and I Tim. 3:2, last 
clause, combined with I Tim. 2:12. 

3. The Baptist fundamental principle, 
that the Scriptures are final authority for 
faith and practice, forbids us to ordain wom- 
en to the Baptist ministry on account of 
any changed circumstances, conditions or 
methods of the present time, in the light of 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 113 

such passages as are cited above under (2). 

4. Therefore, in my judgment, it is not 
only undesirable, but contrary to the fun- 
damental Baptist principles, for a council to 
advise a church to ordain a woman to the 
Baptist ministry. 

REV. R. E. BURTON, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 

DELAWARE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH, 

SYRACUSE, N. Y. 

I have supposed there was no scripture 
authority for ordaining women to the gos- 
pel ministry; but I am not prepared to de- 
fend my suppositions. With my present 
knowledge of the matter I should hesitate 
somewhat in calling a council for the ordi- 
nation of one of our sisters to the gospel 
ministry. 

My judgment is that our sisters can ren- 
der more acceptable and effective service, 
in their public ministrations, without than 
they could with ordination. 

REV. JOHN B. CALVERT, D. D., OF The 
Examiner, NEW YORK CITY. 

The Scriptures, the very constitution of 
woman and the whole history of the church 
witness strongly against woman's ordina- 



114 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

tion to the ministry. In all the history of 
the Christian church I do not recall a single 
instance where a woman has been a success- 
ful pastor of a church. 

I would not be understood as saying that 
women are not to speak in our churches, 
nor to bear a share in all that pertains to 
the coming of the Master's kingdom, for 
they have already shown their fitness and 
capacity for many lines of work; but I do 
not believe that any changed circumstances, 
conditions and methods of this age now 
demand their ordination to the ministry. 

The following passages very plainly teach 
what woman's position is to be in the 
church: I Tim. 2:12; I Cor. 14:34 and Eph. 
5:24. The following passages show, by in- 
ference at least, what the attitude of the 
New Testament is upon the question of 
woman's ordination: Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 
II Tim. 2:2 and Matt. 10:1-20. 



REV. W. N. CLARK, D. D., PROFESSOR OF 
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY, HAMILTON THEO- 
LOGICAL SEMINARY, HAMILTON, N. Y. 

1. There are no passages that can be cit- 
ed as authority for such a course. Gal. 3:28 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 115 

declares the equality of man and woman 
in Christ, but Paul was not thinking of of- 
ficial positions or service, and though his 
words may look toward equality in such 
service, the reference is too remote to be 
used as authority. The same is true of 
Acts 2:17-18. 

2. I should suppose that the expressions 
of Paul on the general position of women, 
in I Cor. and the Pastoral Epistles, would 
fairly be regarded as "out of sympathy" 
with the ordination of women to the min- 
istry. I do not recall anything else in the 
Bible that bears upon the question. 

3. The ministry itself in the Baptist 
churches is very largely a different thing 
from the ministry of the first century, and 
various unquestioned practices concerning 
the ministry are due not to the New Testa- 
ment but to modern conditions. It is im- 
possible to maintain that our ministry in 
this age is conformed in its structure and 
methods to that of the first century. This 
is neither sinful nor injurious, but inevita- 
ble, right and for the best, for it is impossi- 
ble to ignore existing conditions. The pres- 
ent ministry is compelled to be, in many 



116 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

respects, a ministry conformed to present 
conditions. I do not see, therefore, why 
the question of admitting women to the 
ministry may not be judged in the light of 
the conditions in which the question arises. 
4. I think the matter is a proper subject 
for judgment at the present time, on which 
a council is free to act as it may think best. 
I have never yet encountered the question 
in practical form. I do no think, however, 
that the conditions are favorable to any 
large usefulness of women in the Baptist 
ministry, and I fear that the loss from their 
entering it would exceed the gain. The 
woman would have to be a very rare one, 
and the conditions such as I have not yet 
seen and do not expect soon to see, before 
I should advise a council to act affirmative- 
ly. I do not think it wise to encourage the 
practice. But if I were sure that women 
would be highly useful in the ministry, and 
that other interests would not be unduly 
sacrificed in their entering it, I should feel 
myself free to favor their ordination. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. '" ' 117 

REV. A. S. COATS, D. D., PASTOR OP THE 
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

I am persuaded that if we look to the 
New Testament for methods of proceedure 
in church polity that are to be pressed to 
the end of time, we shall not ordain women 
to the Christian ministry. If we look to 
the New Testament for eternal principles, 
rather than for specific rules; principles 
which the Christian church is to shape into 
methods in accordance with the advance of 
civilization and in harmony with the dic- 
tates of a sanctified common-sense, the pre- 
cepts and precedents of the New Testament 
will not be our guides in this matter, but 
rather the eternal fitness of things. In rare 
exceptions a sanctified common-sense may 
dictate the ordination of a woman to the 
Christian ministry — exceptions that may 
grow less rare as the race advances in moral 
elevation. 

At present women may well content them- 
selves with the opportunities open to them 
to use their voices for Christ, without press- 
ing unduly their right to the sacred office 
of Bishop. 



118 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

REV. ALBERT COIT. D.D.. PASTOR OF 

THE OLIVET BAPTIST CHURCH. 

SYRACUSE. N. Y. 

A. While in I Tim. 2:11-12 Paul seems 
positively to forbid women to ••teach." yet 
in I Cor. 11:4-5 he seems with equal clear- 
ness to recognize and admit the fact and 
principle. With differences in words and 
statements the essential thought and thing 
in the Apostle's mind is substantially the 
same. 

B. Examination of the respective con- 
tents reveals that in both cases alike he is 
evidently discussing points which had, and 
perhaps could only have, arisen out of the 
state of society and social conditions there 
existing. In the somewhat extended list of 
questions, some of them minute, under his 
review, woman's ••teaching" or ••prophesy- 
ing" was one. Most of these questions we 
readily see and agree could not and do not 
come up now for discussion. In fact to us, 
of this day and of existing social conditions 
and social rules of conduct, they would seem 
to be puerile. Then they were of great con- 
sequence. Their technical meaning and 
force are gone to-day. I do not think Paul. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 119 

the inspired Apostle, intended to say to 
men of to-day whether they should wear 
the hair long or short, or whether women 
should wear their hair short or long, or 
have the head covered or uncovered in pray- 
er or prophesying. 

The question then recurs : Is this question 
of woman's ' 'teaching" etc. included with 
the rest of the list and to be settled by the 
same rule; or is it to be set apart from the 
rest and to be decided by a different rule ? 
I am strongly inclined to think, so far as 
concerns these and kindred passages in the 
epistles, that all the points raised belong to 
the same class, arose from like conditions, 
and are to be judged and decided by the 
same rule. Specifically, I very much doubt 
that in the utterances cited Paul had in 
mind, or that the Holy Spirit had in mind, 
the modern question of ordaining women to 
the gospel ministry. They give little or no 
light on this, to us, practical and urgent 
question. Our answer to it must be found, 
as it seems to me, in the general teaching 
of Scripture regarding the relation of man 
to woman, the social conditions and ' 'fitness 
of things" in this present age, and the facts 



120 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

in very exceptional cases. 

I answer, therefore, to your inquiries: 

1. None, distinctive and direct. 

2. As above cited, some "appear to be out 
of sympathy with the ordination of wom- 
an;" but these passages have at the best a 
very doubtful bearing on the question as we 
now use the term "ordination." 

3. Yes, if at all; but in any case, aside 
from the teaching of passages usually cited 
pro and con. 

4. No, unless the conditions and circum- 
stances are exceedingly unusual; so unusu- 
al that in a country like ours the question 
should (could) scarcely become a practical 
one. 

If a woman feels called of God to preach, 
let her preach if people will, as they will, 
hear her; let her do evangelistic work as 
she is now, often very effectively, doing it. 
If a church see fit to "ordain" her as pastor, 
none can say it nay; but I am unready to 
think a council, except in rarest cases, is 
called on by our Master to induct into the 
gospel ministry, in its ordinary meaning, a 
woman. It may be fitting or even necessa- 
ry later, but not now. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 121 

REV. P. W. CRANNELL, PASTOR OP THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, CORNING, N. Y. 

1. (a) There is scriptural precedent, and 
so for, authority for the ordination of men 
to the bishopric, though whether the ordi- 
nation necessarily includes a formal cere- 
mony or service may be a little doubtful. 
I have felt a good deal doubtful, but a re- 
examination of the passages convinces me- 
or almost so — that the ceremony of (fast- 
ing, sometimes) laying on of hands, and 
commendatory prayer ought to be employ- 
ed. Acts 6:5-6; 13:2-3; 14:23; I Tim. 4:14; 
5:22 and Titus 1:5. 

(b) No scriptural precedent can be discov- 
ed for the appointing of women to the bish- 
opric. But 

(c) The following passages indicate with 
greater or less force the scriptural position 
upon the exercise by women of the func- 
tions, and their doing the work of the min- 
istry: Acts 21:9; Joel 2:28-29; Psa. 68:11; 
I Cor. 11:5; Judges 5:5; Acts 18:26; Matt. 
25:15; Rom. 11:6-8; I Cor. 12:7 and I Tim. 
4:14. 

The argument is simply this : ' 'The sword 
to him (i. e. her) that can wield it." All 



122 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

the functions of the ministry have been ex- 
ercised by women and magnificently well. 
A gift is to be used. If God makes a wom- 
an capable of preaching, teaching and rul- 
ing, and calls her to it, he has a place for 
her. If that is true, then our ordination 
of such a woman, so called, for whom there 
is a place, would seem to follow. 

2. There are scriptural deliverances which 
appear to be, and are, out of sympathy with 
the exercise of the ministerial office by 
women. 

(a) It is plain that no New Testament 
writer has any thought of women-bishops. 

(b) All the qualifications for the office are 
those of men. The pronouns and gender 
used is not decisive since "the masculine 
always embraces the feminine" but see Ti- 
tus 1:6-9, also I Tim. 3:2-7. 

(c) There are direct prohibitions of a 
woman's even exercising the functions, to 
say nothing of holding the office, as I Tim. 
2:11-12 and I Cor. 14:34. 

3. Yes, emphatically. Paul's proscription 
was based on the circumstances of the 
time, the customs and ideas of his day and 
civilization. The eternal principles are un- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 123 

changed, the application varies. Where 
the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 
As Christ's principles of purity and freedom 
prevail, it will be seen that in Christ Jesus 
there is neither bond nor free, male nor fe- 
male. 

4. I should hesitate, as yet, unless the 
evidence of call, fitness and piety were a 
good deal stronger than they, usually are 
with men, for the woman prophet, (reli- 
gious) teacher and ruler must necessarily be 
rare, and a woman exceptionally endowed 
and circumstanced. The woman's normal 
place is as teacher of the young, assistant, 
deaconess, visitor; not the bishopric. I 
should hesitate, also, for fear that the intro- 
duction of many women into the ordained 
ministry would still further ^de-masculin- 
ize" religion. 

I would not encourage, much ]ess seek to 
disseminate, the idea of the ministry as a 
work for any but the exceptional woman. 
I would, however, encourage the increased 
employment of women as paid helpers in 
the church and if that proceedure increased, 
as it would, the number of applicants for 
ordination, I would after rigid examination 



124 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

in the case of any woman displaying extra- 
ordinary fitness, piety, success, administra- 
tive power and impelled by overmastering 
conviction of her call to preach, recommend 
her ordination. In short I would follow not 
lead, come to this action only when (logi- 
cally) compelled to, and whom God had 
plainly set apart to the work of the minis- 
try, I would. 

REV. L. a DAVIS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, BATH, N. Y. 

The gospel has brought emancipation to 
woman but I fail to find any scriptural au- 
thority to make her equal to man in so far 
as to set aside Gen. 3:16; Num. 13; Eph. 5: 
22-23. &c. I consider an ordained minister 
as holding the highest office God has given, 
and if woman is to be ordained her author- 
ity as a teacher will be the same. I do not 
know of any Scripture which favors the or- 
dination of women to the work of the gos- 
pel ministry. In answer to I Cor. 14:34 and 
I Tim. 2:12 the following passages might 
be given: Judges 4:4; II Kings 22:14-15;Neh. 
6:14; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17 and 21:9. 

And vet Paul's command for women to 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 125 

keep silent in the public assembly as an au- 
thoritative instructor does not prevent her 
speaking for God to man in many ways. 

A woman once said before a service Paul 
told me to obey my husband; my husband 
told me to preach; therefore I am here to- 
night to preach. Then she quoted I Cor. 11:11. 

The woman's constitution does not favor 
continuous public work. The nervous strain 
will soon speak with authority. The home, 
where she is queen, is the place for her. 

3. We as Baptists must say no, provid- 
ing no scripture is found to answer question 
one, or strike out of our belief the article 
"that the Scriptures are a sufficient rule of 
faith and practice." 

4. To answer will require wisdom and 
the Holy Spirit's authority. 

REV. D. D. DEAN, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, LOWVILLE, N. Y. 

We need to guard against the idea that 
ordination carries with it any authority, 
except may be in the performance of legal 
duties like marriages. As I understand it 
our ordination service is little more than a 
recognition of ministerial fellowship. I do 



126 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

not know as there are any passages that 
give us power to confer any authority by 
any ordination service. All the passages I 
recall of the laying on of hands were by the 
apostles and I do not find any place that 
tells us that this duty was to be transmit- 
ted to us. I may be wrong in this, but so 
it seems to me. I do not know of any pas- 
sages that would encourage or discourage 
the ordination of women, but with this view 
of ordination I see no reason, if a wom- 
an shows that she has gifts in this direction, 
and the Lord seems to have given her work 
to do for him in public, why we should 
not recognize the fact, the same as we would 
if she were a man. It does not seem to me 
that there is any immediate prospect of 
many women seeking the ministerial office. 
Only now and then one, and these cases 
may be treated as exceptions. We read of 
women who "labored with" Paul in the 
gospel, and while we do not read that they 
were pastors, yet I doubt not that Paul 
would have left them in charge of a church 
if they were better fitted than any man who 
was at hand. At any rate I would be will- 
ing to ordain them as pastor's wives. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 127 

REV. J. P. ELDER, D. D., PASTOR OP THE 

CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH, 

ALBANY, N. Y. 

1. I think of no scripture authority for 
the ordination of women. There might be 
for deaconesses, but I recall none for female 
pastors. The cases of Deborah, Priscilla, 
the daughters of Philip might be cited but 
they have about as much ' 'authority" as 
"Suffer little children" gives to infant bap- 
tism. 

2. I think Paul's "Let your women keep 
silence &c.," "I suffer not a woman to 
teach," would cover just this ground, as 
specifically distinct from her privilege of 
testifying in a prayer meeting, for instance. 

3. Paul's reason was pretty radical, go- 
ing back to the headship of man, as impli- 
ed in the original creation and enforced by 
the gullibility of Eve. I do not deny that 
there may be more light to break forth on 
the subject of church polity as well as christ- 
ian doctrine, but it seems to me that the 
disqualifications of women for the ministry 
are radical and permanent — imposed alike 
by their physical constitution and the word 
of God. In this I do not deny that there 



128 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

are some women who would make capable 
pastors but it is hardly wise to make ex- 
ceptions when the eternal order is plain. 
4. No. 

REV. D. F. ESTES, D. D., PROFESSOR OF NEW 
TESTAMENT INTERPRETATION, HAM- 
ILTON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 
HAMILTON, N. Y. 

1. I know of no authority either by pre- 
cept or precedent of scripture for the ordi- 
nation of a woman to the ministry. 

2. I Tim. 2:11-12 and I Cor. 14:34 (third 
clause) seem to me "out of sympathy" with 
such an act. 

3. In so far as the "circumstances, con- 
ditions and methods" of the first century 
controlled the scripture teaching or confirm- 
ed it, this influence would necessarily be 
eliminated in securing a correct view. Thus 
Paul argues (I Cor. 14:35) that it was a 
scandal for a woman to speak in church. 
As nowadays it is not scandalous, however 
out of harmony with the prominent princi- 
ples of christian order it may be, this argu- 
ment must have no weight. This was not 
the sole basis of his prohibition, however, 
but as confirmatory. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 129 

4. I do not consider it desirable. 

REV. E. J. FARLEY, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, ONEONTA, N. Y. 

1. I know of no New Testament author- 
ity for the ordination of woman to the Bap- 
tist ministry. On the contrary I believe it 
forbidden by Paul. 

2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 

REV. R. E. FARRIER, PASTOR OF THE FIRST 
BAPTIST CHURCH, POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. 

1. No direct Scripture authority that I 
can recall. 

2. Two passages would appear to be out 
of sympathy therewith — I Cor. 14:34 and 
I Tim. 2:11 — though there is to be consid- 
ered the condition of the Corinthian church 
at that time and circumstances which called 
for the words. 

3. Not so much by changed circumstances 
and methods as by call of God and fitness. 

4. If God calls her to such, who should 
hinder her? She is ordained thereby. If 
so called, and evidences given to show call, 
Yes. 



130 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

REV. W. H. P. FAUNCE, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 

FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, 

NEW YORK CITY. 

I do not know of any scriptural author- 
ity for any such procedure, nor do I know 
of any scriptural deliverance which ought 
to be considered as prohibiting such pro- 
cedure. Undoubtedly, Paul's teaching as 
given to the Corinthians is out of harmony 
with such procedure, but Paul was giving 
specific directions to one church, and Paul's 
view of womanhood in general was not as 
lofty as that of Jesus. If it were clear that 
a woman were called by gifts, by training, 
by circumstances and leadings of Provi- 
dence to the ministry, I think she should be 
ordained; but I have never met such a 
woman myself, and should be very slow to 
advise ordination under ordinary circum- 
stances. This is one of the matters in which 
it seems to me exceedingly difficult to lay 
down dogmatic rules. While I have never 
in my experience known a woman to apply 
for ordiuation, yet I have known many 
women who by gift of speech, spiritual in- 
tuition, christian sympathy, power of lead- 
ership, etc. , were much better qualified to 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 131 

lead a church than the average male min- 
ister. To say that they shall never minis- 
ter to a church would be perhaps to deprive 
some small communities of any minister, 
and would be to depreciate greatly the ef- 
forts of some of our women on the foreign 
field. I believe that as woman's sphere con- 
stantly becomes larger it will become safe 
and wise for her to do many things which 
now are unsafe and unwise, but I would 
not hurry this evolution by any rashness or 
defiance of established proprieties. To say 
that Frances E. Willard could not be or- 
dained, if she had applied for it, simply be- 
cause she was a woman, would be to me to 
"shut up the Kingdom of Heaven;" but 
there has been only one Miss Willard. In 
the future there may be several, or many 
such. If so, we should welcome them if 
they feel called to the ministry. 

REV. C. P. P. FOX, PASTOR OP THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, MORRIS, N. Y. 

1. I know of no passages that even look 
towards such an ordination, hence no script- 
ural authority. In my judgment the whole 
genius of the gospel is against even what is 



132 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

known as woman's "preaching." 

2. I Cor. 14:34-36 and I Tim. 2:11-15 are, 
to me, fundamentally against the ordina- 
tion of woman to any ministry — Baptist or 
otherwise. 

3. In my judgment the prohibition placed 
upon woman in I Tim. 2:11-15 is not in the 
least modified by any change in circum- 
stances, conditions or methods. It is as 
fundamental and unchangable as the dif- 
ferences in the sexes, and this reason is as- 
signed. I know the reason assigned is not 
sufficient to many; it was to the Spirit and 
should be to us. 

4. No, not advisable, not desirable, not 
safe. The council should advise the church 
to admit no woman to the ministry; not 
because she is not just as good and capable 
as man, but because, in my judgment, God 
and nature both prohibit her from entering. 

REV. O. P. GIFFORD, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 
DELAWARE AVENUE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

1. I know of no authority in the Bible 
for ordaining women to the Baptist min- 
istry. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 133 

2. I Tim. 2:12 plainly teaches Paul's con- 
victions on the subject. If woman is not to 
teach as a man, I can see no sense in ordain- 
ing her to the teaching office. 

3. I should hesitate to change direct 
teaching because the circumstances have 
changed. 

4. In my judgment, No ! 

REV. A. K. FULLER, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, NEWBURG, N. Y. 

1. None. 2. Yes. I Cor. 11:1-16. 
3. No. 4. Not advisable. 

REV. EUGENE HAINES, PASTOR OF THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, PENN YAN, N. Y. 

1. No passages can be sighted which fa- 
vor the ordination of women, but passages 
can be sighted which seem to teach that 
women should have a prominent part in the 
work of the church. Acts 2 :17 ; 21 :9 ; I Cor. 
11:5. 

2. The following passages, I think, are 
1 'out of sympathy with the ordination of 
women:" I Cor. 14:34; I Tim. 2:12. 

3. To the third question I answer, No. 

4. I must answer to this question, No. 



134 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

REV. W. T. HENRY, D.D.. PASTOR OF THE FIRST 
BAPTIST CHURCH, ELMIRA. N. Y. 

Is it not somewhat significant that no 
woman was included among either the 70 
Christ sent forth as his forerunners to cer- 
tain cities and places he was about to visit, 
or any of the 12 whom he ordained to es- 
tablish his kingdom ? The case of the Sa- 
maritan woman implies no contradiction of 
this view. She was deeply impressed and 
highly honored in being privileged to an- 
nounce to her fellow-townsmen Jesus as the 
Messiah. No doubt 6he joyfully told all 
whom she met, and she did what was right 
and proper; but it is unfair to infer, there- 
fore, that she has a tacit ordination of 
Christ to preach the gospel. In like man- 
ner the fact that Christ instructed Mary 
Magdalene to announce his resurrection to 
his disciples can not reasonably be brought 
forward to show that women are appointed 
of Christ ministers of the gospel. This is 
like trying to poise an inverted cone on its 
apex. I should say, however, that in seem- 
ing to deny that the ministry, in the proper 
sense of the term, is appointed to women, I 
don't contend that women are invariably to 



THE SYMPOSIUM 135 

be silent on the subject of religion. The 
words prophesying and preaching, in rela- 
tion to the christian ministry and christian 
work, are very comprehensive, extending 
from private religious conversation to the 
public delivery of the word of life. We read 
of women who prophesied, who labored in 
the gospel, and who labored much in the 
Lord, who were helpers, &c., joint help- 
ers; but these terms do not definitely ^.x 
the status of the women referred to. There 
are plenty of women in our denomination 
who prophesy, labor in the gospel, labor 
much in the Lord and are helpers in God's 
cause, and yet never stand up in the pulpit 
to preach. The following passages of script- 
ure should be carefully studied in order to 
arrive at correct conclusions on this subject: 
I Cor. 11:1-15; 14:3, 4, 31, 35; I Tim. 2:12- 
13; Titus 2:25. 

Notwithstanding what I have said thus 
far, I believe that women should preach if 
moved thereto by the Spirit of God. Acts 
2:17-18. 



136 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

REV. B. L. HERR, PASTOR OP THE SO. BROAD 

ST. BAPTIST CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA, 

PA., FORMERLY OF LOCKPORT, N. Y. 

I incline to the belief that we ought to 
go pretty slowly along the lines you sug- 
gest. The apostolic church seemed to get 
along very well without the ordination of 
women, and so has the church since that 
time, with sufficient exceptions, perhaps, to 
prove the rule. Circumstances may alter 
cases, but I do not think that either script- 
ure nor experience is very favorable to the 
idea. 

REV.A.S.HOBART,D.D., PASTOR OF THE WAR- 
BURTON AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, 
YONKERS, N. Y. 

I know of no scripture authority for or- 
daining women as pastors. I think all 
scripture is against it. ' 'I suffer not a wom- 
an to teach." "She should be under au- 
thority." "A bishop must be the husband 
of one wife" — "ruling his household well." 

The entire absence of a woman in that 
office in all the early churches. The com- 
plete failure of all who have tried thus to 
get out of their sphere. The subversion it 
implies of nature's order. A woman un- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 137 

womans herself when she assumes to be a 
leader of men. The lack of experience in 
the lines of wisdom which a pastorate calls 
for. All these make it seem to me incred- 
itable that any Baptist church, except some 
western one, where there are no men, would 
want a woman for pastor. 

Woman can teach. That is her fort; but 
she is not by nature made to "have author- 
ity" over churches. 

REV. R. B. HULL, D. D., PASTOR OP THE GREEN- 
WOOD BAPTIST CHURCH, BROOKLYN, N. Y. 

1. None. 

2. Yes. Everything which the scripture 
says of woman. 

3. This age is not the criterion. Deliver 
us from the mannish woman and the wom- 
anish man. 

4. No. 

REV. W. L. JOHNSON, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, PETERSBURG, N. Y. 

1. I do not know of any scriptural au- 
thority for ordination exactly as we prac- 
tice it, but whatever points that way seems 
to make no distinction as to sex. 



138 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

2. No. 

3. Should be determined by the condi- 
tions and circumstances of any and every 
"age," or rather any and every case. 

4. No. The ministry is over-crowded, and 
I do not consider that women are as well 
adapted to the duties of the ordained min- 
istry as men. 

I am not much in favor of rules to be 
applied to every case, but would have each 
case worked out on its own merits. How- 
ever, I can not now think of any probable 
circumstances under which I should advise 
the ordination of a woman to the gospel 
ministry. 

REV. ARTHUR JONES, D. D., PROFESSOR OP 
HOMILETICS IN HAMILTON THEOLOGI- 
CAL SEMINARY, HAMILTON,N.Y. 

There certainly is no scripture authority 
for the ordination of women. In my judg- 
ment it would be such an unwise thing to 
do that I could never bring myself to favor 
it unless compelled to do so by the unmis- 
takable teaching of scripture. I think, per- 
haps, some of the proof-texts against the 
ordination of women have been pressed out 



THE SYMPOSIUM 139 

of their meaning. Others, however, I am 
bound to believe are fully against it. I doubt 
if the question ever really came up in the 
Apostolic church; I hope it will not in our 
time, though it sometimes looks as if it 
might in some localities. 

REV. R. T. JONES, D. D., PASTOR OF THE FIRST 
BAPTIST CHURCH, ITHACA, N. Y. 

1. There are no instances of woman's or- 
dination in the scripture in the sense that 
we suppose it to have been used in Paul's 
time. I question very much, however, our 
interpretation of its use at that time. 

2. Yes, if we take Paul alone; but his 
prohibitions would shut woman away from 
all public work in the church of any sort. To 
take Paul for authority against woman's or- 
dination means to cut her off from speaking 
in meeting, public evangelistic work, and 
every sort of public part that would im- 
ply leadership. To take Paul for authority 
against woman's ordination, and yet for 
her to take any public part in the church, 
seems to me very bad exegesis. I would 
like some one to explain to me from his 
own words how this can be done. The pas- 



140 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

sage in Genesis, where man is stated to be in 
authority over woman, has no relevancy in 
my mind to the question. It is simply the 
statement of the general fact that man, as 
man, is the leader, the fighter, the trader, 
tee., which does not mean, by any means, 
that no woman is ever to trade or be a 
leader, or fighter even, if she has the ca- 
pacity for it. All history is proof that 
while woman, as woman, will always oc- 
cupy the second place, there are women ca- 
pable of taking the first (as there are men 
capable only of the second), and when there 
are such they have a right to it, and no one 
should say them nay. 

3. Yes, in my judgment, by all means. 
I think the question is largely to be settled 
by this. Paul spoke out of the view of 
woman which prevailed in his day. She 
was not fitted to take public part in the 
work of the church. It was, besides, con- 
sidered improper in the eyes of the heathen 
world. It would have brought a measure 
of scandal upon the church for this to have 
been permitted. This is very clear, I think. 
But now the circumstances are different. 
Woman has her place beside man in every- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 141 

thing. She has shown herself capable of 
almost every form of social service formerly 
belonging to man alone. She fills with 
honor to the world and help to society al- 
most all the professions, is found in trade, 
in agriculture, and in almost every form of 
the world's labor, and simply and solely be- 
cause of her power to do those forms of 
work acceptably. For the Church now to 
forbid her the sacred office, when in all 
other forms of human service she has been 
honored of God and pre-eminently so in re- 
ligious work as well, it seems to me draw- 
ing the line by human invention rather than 
by God's ordering. 

4. Yes, I would advise an ordining coun- 
cil to ordain a woman to the Baptist minis- 
try just as quickly as I would a man, pro- 
viding she met the conditions of ordination 
with equal acceptance. I would no more 
make her sex the ground of refusal than I 
would the color of her hair. 



REV. EDWARD JUDSON, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 

MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH, 

NEW YORK CITY. 

The New Testament itself will yield a good 



142 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

deal more truth than will exude from the 
consciousness of your ministerial brethren. 

REV. J. J. KEYES, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, CAZENOVIA, N. Y. 

1. None. 

2. Yes, but suggested by purely local 
conditions. 

3. Yes. 

4. Yes, if her qualifications appear to be 
sufficient and satisfactory. 

REV. F. T. LATHAM, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, MEDINA, N. Y. 

I think the scriptures are practically si- 
lent upon the subject. No instances can 
be cited where women were ordained — per- 
haps none which forbid. The general tenor 
of scripture, in my judgment, is against it. 
I do not think it best to make the innova- 
tion, at least not under ordinary circum- 
stances. I can not see the advantage to 
woman, nor to the church. I fully recog- 
nize the work which women have done and 
are doing. I would give to woman al] the 
glory which is her due, but there are so 
many considerations, delicate and other- 
wise, that I question whether the time has 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 143 

come for this radical and questionable step. 

REV. G. F. LOVE, JR., PASTOR OP THE WEST 
BAPTIST CHURCH, OSWEGO, N. Y. 

1. None, that I can lead myself to believe, 
teach or suggest the ordination of women 
as pastors. 

2. Yes. 

3. The changed conditions of the present 
day, from New Testament times, furnish 
no better argument for the innovation of 
female pastors than they do for the innova- 
tion of sprinkling and infant baptism. 

4; I would not vote, or give sanction by 
silence to a proposition, to ordain any wom- 
an to the Baptist ministry. 

The preaching of the gospel and the work 
of the ministry is the hardest and the heav- 
iest work of the church, and men ought not 
to allow them to do it any more than a 
farmer ought to allow his wife to plow, 
harrow or harvest, or do any other heavy 
work. The spectacle of a small, weak wom- 
an baptizing a great rugged man would rob 
the scene of the Jordan and its actors — the 
Great Preacher and the Greater Teacher of 
all its strength and beauty. 



144 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

REV. H. S. LOYD, D. D., SECRETARY OP THE 

BAPTIST EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY OF 

THE STATE OF NEW YORK, 

HAMILTON, N. Y. 

1. There is need of increasing strictness, 
over against the prevailing laxity, in the 
ordination of candidates to the ministry. 

2. The masculine, rather than the femi- 
nine element, needs accentuation by our 
ministry. 

3. The absence of men from our congre- 
gations and from our membership, calls for 
an appeal to manhood and an exemplifica- 
tion of the same in our church services and 
life. 

4. "Mannish shoes for women" are ad- 
vertised by , a shoemaker in New York. 

Are we in danger of losing our women? Not, 
if the masculinity intimated is superficial, 
in dress not in manners, in style not in 
thought, in fashion not in spirit and soul. 

A revival of manhood among men and of 
womanhood among women would be a nov- 
elty. It would be refreshing, and yet no 
one admires motherhood, sisterliness, wom- 
anliness more than I. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 145 

REV. R. S. MAC ARTHUR, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH, N. Y. CITY. 

1. I find no scripture grounds for ordain- 
ing women to the Baptist ministry. 

2. I think the trend of all scripture teach- 
ing is against such procedure. 

3. I see nothing in what would be called 
changed circumstances to justify such ac- 
tion. 

4. There might be a state of things which 
would make it desirable to ordain a woman 
to the work of the ministry. I do not see 
anything to make it desirable at present. I 
am not omniscient and can not see into the 
future. I believe woman should be encour- 
aged to work in the Sunday school and to 
take part in our social meetings, but I see no 
scriptural authority for ordaining women. 

REV. W. H. MAIN, PASTOR OF THE CENTRAL 
BAPTIST CHURCH, SYRACUSE, N. Y. 

1. None. 2. Yes. 3. No. 4. No. 

REV. J. C. MALLORY, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, SAVONA, N. Y. 

1. None. Can't do it. 

2. Nothing said about women. 

3. Turn back the tide of nature first. 

4. No. 



146 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

REV. E. E. MANNING, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, WARRENSBURG, N. Y. 

In my study of the Bible I have not seen 
where one would be upheld in ordaining 
women to the gospel ministry. It seems to 
me that no true woman would ever apply 
for ordination. Her place is not in a pas- 
torate, as she is not physically suitable for 
such work, but in her own place she can do 
much for the cause of Christ. 

REV. J. H. MASON, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, BATAVIA, N. Y. 

1. None. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 

REV. C. C. MAXFIELD, PASTOR OF THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, ONEIDA, N. Y. 

1. I am rather of the opinion that there 
is no necessity growing out of scripture 
teaching for what we call < 'ordination." 
That such a service is wise, I will not dis- 
pute, but do not see that in order for the 
exercise of the ministerial function it is ob- 
ligatory upon either church or pastor, male 
or female. 

2. Of course there are some which seem 
to be; but the same passages, thus inter- 
preted, would exclude women from active 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 147 

part in all our social meetings, for prayer 
and conference. 

3. I should say, yes. 

4. I see no objection to it, nor do I see 
any necessity for it, at present. 

If God calls woman to preach, he will 
provide hearers who will recognize the call, 
and all they need to do is to let her preach, 
and supply her necessities. It is not any 
more necessary for her to baptize than it 
was for Paul. 

REV. O. R. McKAY, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, WARSAW, N. Y. 

1. I do not consider that there is any di- 
rect scriptural authority for the ordination. 

2. There are to my mind passages of 
scripture out of harmony with the idea of 
the ordination of women. I Cor. 14:34; I 
Tim. 2:12. These two passages stand alone 
in apparent opposition to the ordination of 
women. Still every one must know that 
women were employed in the New Testa- 
ment Church — e. g., Phebe is called "the 
servant of the church." Bom. 16:1. Among 
the salutations are to be found the names of 
many women "who labored in the Lord." 



148 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

There can be no doubt that women had a 
place, but that it was a place requiring or- 
dination can not be proved. The most bril- 
liant example is that of Priscilla, who, with 
her husband, instructed a man ' 'mighty in 
the scriptures," "instructed in the way of 
the Lord," and "eloquent." Still this is not 
ordination, at least there is no definite proof 
of ordination. Women in the New Testa- 
ment are never referred to as "elders," 
"pastors," or "deacons." These terms are 
never applied to them. They are called 
"servants," or "those who labored in the 
Lord." The probable case was that the 
women of Paul's day were just like oriental 
women of to-day. As a rule they were not 
educated. They were garrulous and super- 
stitious, and were utterly unfit for the work 
of the church. Yet here and there a woman 
of education and refinement was found. 
When one of these showed signs of intelli- 
gence and devotion, she was taken up by 
the church and used as a teacher. In other 
words, the apostles used such material as 
they could find, whether male or female. 
That is just what we are doing to-day. We 
are employing women in the Sunday school, 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 149 

in our evangelistic work, as church visitors 
and missionaries. They are on the conven- 
tion programmes and are generally useful. 

3. The "changed circumstances" could 
with equal propriety be cited to justify any 
sort of an innovation. This would let down 
the bars for the entrance of any sort of 
practice, and soon we should need another 
Luther to lead us back to the word of God. 

4. No. Because the work of the minis- 
try is well done now. Because a woman is 
not well capacitated to administer the ordi- 
nance of baptism. Because it would bring 
an abnormal condition in the family for the 
mother to be a minister and the father a 
"I don't know what." Because a mixed 
ministry of men and women would be an 
occasion of idle gossip and possible scandal. 
Because if the church must have gowns in 
the pulpit we men can wear them. Because 
the ministerial supply is now adequate to 
the needs. 

REV. W. E. MILLINGTON, PASTOR OF THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, KEESE VILLE, N. Y. 

1. I don't know of any. In our Lord's time 
on earth many women believed on him. 



150 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

But he never asked a woman nor any given 
number of women "what they thought of 
him." The seventy were all men. The 
twelve disciples were all men, and it was to 
them he gave the great commission. It is 
significant, also, that however intelligent or 
helpful the women were that were brought 
into the church by their preaching, none 
were ever called to preach even as occasional 
supplies. True there was one woman proph- 
et in the Old Dispensation, and the Lord ac- 
cepted and approved her work; but for rea- 
sons best known to God her prophecies do 
not appear in his word. Woman has her 
sphere and our Savior recognized it, and 
commended those of their number who filled 
it; but he never violated his plan in her cre- 
ation by calling her to be anything but an 
"helpmeet" for man. 

2. The 0. T. is full of such, as, "make him 
a minister." "He shall minister." Matt. 
20:27. "Whosoever shall be great among 
you, let him be your minister." I Tim. 2: 
11-12. Paul's direction to Timothy, "a good 
soldier, enduring hardness," in its broadest 
application can never be stretched so far as 
to include a woman or women. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 151 

3. Changes in our circumstances and con- 
ditions are merely physical and local, and call 
for no new spiritual instruments or meth- 
ods. There was an entire absence of method 
in the ministry of our Lord and the apos- 
tles, a marvelous adaptation in the plan of 
salvation to every human, or rather spirit- 
ual, need of men. Christ and all the early 
ministers of those early Baptist churches in 
their ministry recognized no change in the 
circumstances, conditions, race or speech, 
but in the simplest possible way preached 
the gospel to them — always the gospel, al- 
ways the same instruments. Christ never 
said : ' 'You shall not ordain a woman to the 
gospel ministry." He does not seem to 
have anticipated such a step on the part of 
those who should be called by his name. He 
seems to have taken it for granted that our 
common sense, supported by his example in 
not doing it, would be a sufficient barrier 
to the entrance of woman into the hallowed 
circle of the ministry. 

4. It is not competent for any council to 
advise such a step, and therefore not desir- 
able. In addition to the foregoing there are 
many features, both physical and mental, 



152 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

in women that surely disqualify them for 
so important an office. As a rule 99 per 
cent, are lacking in the force of character 
with which God has endowed men, and 
which is a necessary force behind or accom- 
panying the preaching of the gospel. Nei- 
ther does she possess the physical endurance 
which prolonged effort requires. The pos- 
sibility of motherhood, with its weighty re- 
sponsibility, together with the necessary 
withdrawal from the public eye, neither of 
which she can escape from. Then, too, she 
does not possess that stability of will and 
steady, undaunted, unshifting adherence to 
purpose and principle that man has, and 
which causes her instinctively to lean on 
him for direction and protection. True 
there are exceptions to this general rule. 
There are manly women and womanly men, 
neither of which have any well denned 
marketable value. There are many other 
objections against the ordination of. a wom- 
an to the Baptist ministry. 

REV. MERRIT MILLER, PASTOR OF THE FIRST 
KENT BAPTIST CHURCH. KENT CLIFFS. N. Y. 

1. I do not find any scriptural authority 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 153 

for the ordination of women to the Baptist 
ministry. 

2. Yes. I Cor. 14:34, I Tim. 2:12. Jesus 
chose men. Is not his example conclusive ? 
In Acts 20:28 the Holy Ghost made men 
(not women) overseers. 

3. The New Testament is our rule of faith 
and practice. Therefore I do not think the 
"changed circumstances, conditions and 
methods of this age" should have anything 
to do with the question. 

4. It is not. 

REV. S. GIFFARD NELSON, PASTOR OP THE 

BEDFORD AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, 

BROOKLYN, N. Y. 

I am utterly opposed to the ordination of 
women to the ministry as unscriptural, im- 
politic and wholly anomalous. 

REV. C. E. NICHOLS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, COOPERSTOWN, N. Y. 

Sufficient to say may be this conviction: 
"That it is a higher honor for a woman (in 
God's sight) to be a mother of preachers 
than to preach." 

REV. C. B. PARSONS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, OXFORD, N. Y. 
1. I find no scriptural authority for the 



154 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

ordination of women to the Baptist ministry. 

2. The "commission" was given to men, 
was accepted by men, and, so far as I un- 
understand, the ordinances were observed 
by men, during New Testament times. 

3. No; no more than the ordinances or 
church government. 

4. Decidedly No! 

REV. T. HARWOOD PATTISON, PROFESSOR 
OF HOMILETICSIN ROCHESTER THEOLOGI- 
CAL SEMINARY, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

The polity of the church of to-day may 
be changed in such a matter as the work 
and position of woman by the changed con- 
ditions under which we live. In my judg- 
ment it certainly is not desirable for a coun- 
cil to advise a church to ordain a woman to 
the Baptist ministry, a2id I do not believe 
that a well-established church, with wise 
men and women in the ascendency in its 
counsels, will be likely to do so. 

REV. G. B. PERKINS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, WELLSVILLE, N. Y. 

My own views are very positive against 
the ordination of women to the Baptist 
ministry. It does not seem to me that 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 155 

there are any passages to justify such a 
practice. The passages that I would note 
as out of sympathy with it would be : Titus 
2:4-5; I Tim. 2:9-15; I Cor. 14:34-36; I Pe- 
ter 3:1-7. These passages, as it seems to 
me, clearly indicate woman's sphere, and 
while I do not hold that it is a position of 
subordination, I can not think it should 
be equal when we come to the ministry. I 
do not believe that any changed conditions 
or circumstances can change what I believe 
to be the scriptural idea, and so in my judg- 
ment it would be not desirable to advise a 
church to call a council to ordain a woman 
to the Baptist ministry. I always bid a 
good christian woman welcome to my pul- 
pit, yet I can not as I now see the matter 
consent to clothe her with all the functions 
of an ordained minister. 

REV. J. W. PHILLIPS, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, BINGHAM- 

TON, N. Y. 

I can not give any scripture passages in 
favor of ord aining women to the ministry. 
If done at all it must be on non-scriptural 
grounds, to say the least. The spirit and 



156 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

custom of the apostolic age was against the 
leadership of women in any department of 
life. Paul most emphatically applies this 
to the churches. I should want to be con- 
vinced that the apostle spoke from preju- 
dice rather than from inspiration before I 
could vote for the ordination of a sister, 
even admitting her natural and spiritual 
endowments for the work. 

REV. W. C. PHILLIPS, PASTOR OF THE FIRST 
BAPTIST CHURCH, OSWEGO, N. Y. 

1. I know of none. 

2. I Tim. 2:12-15: I Cor. 14:33-35. 

3. I do not think so. 

4. It is not. 

REV. A. M. PRENTICE, PASTOR OF THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, OGDENSBURG, N. Y. 

I do not know how many passages of 
scripture may be quoted for or against the 
ordination of women to the gospel minis- 
try. That strong prohibition of Paul in his 
first letter to Timothy has not been ex- 
plained away to my satisfaction. And yet 
I have known the passage in I Cor. 11:5-6 
to be set over against it, the prophesying of 
the woman being assumed as receiving apos- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 157 

tolic approval. I can only say that I am 
not prepared to endorse the setting apart 
of women to the gospel ministry. Some 
women have been eminently useful, some 
very devoted, some appear indeed approved 
of God; but I have my reserve of judgment 
and conscience regarding the matter. I can 
not see the approval of scripture. 

REV. M. H. POGSON, D. D., SEC. OP THE BAP- 
TIST MINISTERS' HOME SOCIETY, 
NEW YORK CITY. 

1. Acts 2:17. But I do not regard that 
to be conclusive. 

2. I Tim. 2:12. I think decidedly so. 

3. The argument of I Tim. 2:12 is drawn 
from creation, and so can not be altered 
or affected by any age. 

4. Decidedly, No. 

REV. W. G. ROGERS, PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, WATERTOWN, N. Y. 

1. We have no authority. There are no 
passages. 

2. In my judgment Eph. 5:22-32, should 
settle the matter, especially when placed 
alongside of I Tim. 2:11-13. 



158 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

3. I believe and acknowledge with all can- 
dor that if purity of heart and life, spiritual 
fervor, scholastic attainments and ability to 
teach were the only requirements, I would 
unhesitatingly vote for the ordination of 
some women in preference to many men. 
Num. 30 would not deter me from so doing; 
but in view of the passages cited above I 
would not dare to do so. If I were asked 
to explain the reason for the prohibition I 
am not sure that I could make it clear and 
satisfactory to the sisters or their advocates. 
It has to my mind the nature of an express 
command, concerning which the Holy Spirit 
has not thought fit to enter into details, and 
therefore any conjecture on my part would 
be out of place. We who do not understand 
our own parts and powers may be excused 
if we do not comprehend to the full that 
marvellous and peculiarly sacred structure 
called the church and our Lord's present 
and future relationship thereto. I am sat- 
isfied that there is no disrespect to women 
or favoritism to men in the prohibition, for 
in all ages the women have exceeded us in 
their devotion and willingness to suffer for 
their Lord. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 159 

4. Accepting the scripture as God's word, 
we can do no other than to obey its direc- 
tions, leaving results to him, and quietly 
waiting his time for the flood of light which 
shall make all things clear. I could not 
under any circumstances advise the ordina- 
tion of women, though I would gladly have 
their co-operation in every other depart- 
ment of christian service. 

REV. FRANK I. ROSCOE, PASTOR OP THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, DOVER PLAINS, N. Y. 

My own position has been practically a 
literal acceptance of I Tim. 2:12, as apply- 
ing to the ordained ministry, with the un- 
derstanding that other passages show that 
there was a participation by women in tes- 
timony, prophesying and prayer, in social 
and prayer meetings. 

1. None. 

2. Prohibitory. I Tim. 2:12. 

3. No. 

4. No, since I believe it unscriptural. 

REV. G. R. SMITH, PASTOR OP THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, FRANKLINVILLE, N. Y. 

1. As to your first question, I must say 
for my part, No authority — Gal. 3 :28; Luke 



160 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

2:38, and Acts 2:17-18, notwithstanding. 

2. As to No. 2, I answer, Yes. I Cor. 14: 
34; I Tim. 2:11-15, of course. Imagine 
yourself with Paul when he wrote these two 
passages. Now ask him your 4th question. 

3. No, only by the word of God. Paul's 
argument in I Tim. 2:13-14 applies his teach- 
ing to all time, so I read. 

4. Taking the specific teachings of Paul 
and all the examples of Christ and the early 
church as the only source of authority, I 
answer, No. The teaching on this subject, 
both specific and implied, is just as clear as 
on the subjects of baptism and communion. 
Not that women should never witness for 
Christ in public. This is very different from 
being set apart as ' 'bishops. " (Follow Paul 
into I Tim. 3. ) The * 'changed circumstances, 
conditions and methods of this age" are fall- 
ing too much into the habit of thrusting 
Paul aside as a back number, a crusty old 
bachelor, a woman hater, &c. We may 
wake up some later day and discover that 
the inspired Paul knew more than all this 
aspiring age. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 161 

REV. D. KENDALL SMITH, PASTOR OP THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, DEPOSIT, N. Y. 

Passing the first and second questions, re- 
garding the others, it seems to me that the 
church, if she is to serve the world in these 
days, must adapt her methods and meas- 
ures to the conditions and circumstances of 
the age. I don't believe the gospel will ever 
become "antiquated," but methods may ea- 
sily and will of necessity become so. Wom- 
an is grandly coming to the front in re- 
formatory and philanthropic movements, 
and the world honors her for it. She has 
been, and is not less so to-day, a mighty 
helper in the work of the church, and un- 
less some positive prohibition is laid upon 
it by scripture, I do not see why she may 
not be set apart to the work of the ministry 
if she gives the same evidence of fitness, 
ability, and being called, we require of men. 

REV. D. E. SPRAGUE, PASTOR OP THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, DUNDEE, N. Y. 

1. I do not know of any direct scripture 
authority. However, this in my judgment, 
would not prove it to be wrong simply be- 
cause scripture is silent. 



162 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

I believe something of an argument can 
be made from the fact that certain women, 
in both the Old Testament and New Testa- 
ment, had the recognized gift of prophecy 
which in some cases at least amounted to 
teaching. Witness Miriam, Deborah, Han- 
nah, Anna (Luke 2:36) and the daugh- 
ters of Philip (Acts 21:8-9). I realize that 
the basis of our church is to be found in the 
New Testament. This shows the importance 
attached to certain women by no means to 
be ignored. I do not see how any argument 
can be drawn from the office of deaconess. 

2. Certain passages appear to be against 
it, notably I Cor. 14:34. However, I believe 
a true understanding of this passage will 
show that it is not specifically against it. I 
hold we have no right to limit the passage 
to the church at Corinth, on good hermen- 
eutical grounds. We do not quote this to- 
day as an argument that women should not 
speak in meetings. If they have the right 
why not go the next step ? They certainly 
do teach. As to communion, it is better in 
the hands of ordained ministers, of course. 
Yet I hold it will not be unscriptural for 
others to break the bread and pour the wine 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 163 

if necessary. Why not give it to the women? 
Baptism can certainly be more convenient- 
ly done by men. Yet I do not see how we 
could forbid them (women). If God calls 
he will take care of the called. 

3. I believe it should. Our church cer- 
tainly differs from the apostolic church in 
many ways, e. g. Sunday School and Young 
People's Societies. 

4. If the church should fully be persuad- 
ed that a woman has a call from God to 
preach as truly as they recognize a man has 
a call, how can we refuse her ? In one case 
we say God has called shall we in the other 
case, equally as clear as to evidence, say 
God has not called ? It is a heavy assump- 
tion. The Great Commission is self -perpet- 
uating. Why not a woman ? This opens up 
the missionary problem which brings up 
another line of proof in favor of the above 
position. 

REV. W. O. STEARNS, PASTOR OP THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, GLENS FALLS, N. Y. 

The passages having special reference to 
ordination are Acts 6:5-6; 13:2-3; I Tim. 3: 
1-7; 4:14; 5:22; 6:2-14, 20-21; II Tim. 1:6, 13- 



164 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

14; 4:1-8; I Cor. 9:16; I Tim. 1:12; Tit. 1:6-9. 

It does not seem clear to me that the New 
Testament gives a technical meaning to 
"ordain. " Paul regards himself as ordained 
or set apart, chosen of God for the work he 
was to do. 

The seven deacons and the men mention- 
ed in Acts 13:2-3 were set apart in a special 
service called by the church for the pur- 
pose. Prayer and the laying on of hands 
seem to be an essential part of the service 
of setting any one apart for his special ser- 
vice in and for the church. 

Conditions of life were such at the time 
that Paul, as a wise and divinely led apos- 
tle in I Cor. 14:34 and I Tim. 2:12, gave ex- 
plicit directions against women taking part 
in the public meetings of the churches. Ac- 
cording to him women were excluded from 
making public addresses. The principle ex- 
ception I find is in I Cor. 11:5, where wom- 
en are referred to as "praying and prophe- 
sying." Add to this the fact that the daugh- 
ters of Philip, Acts 21:9, could likewise act 
in what is called "prophesying," and bring 
these passages to a common source in the 
fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, mentioned in 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 165 

Peter's sermon of Acts 2:17-18, 21, and it 
seems clear to me, at least, that the sphere 
of "prophesying" is wider than that em- 
braced by "ordination," and that as the lo- 
cal church was to take the initiative in the 
matter of the selection and setting apart to 
the ministry of those who may serve the 
church in this way, so now if it be wise not 
to ordain women, as it evidently was then, 
it is within the province of the church to do 
so still and if unwise, it is likewise within 
the province of the church to ordain wom- 
en, who are gifted with the spirit of proph- 
esy. The Lord gave the Spirit to the church 
when he breathed upon them and said ' de- 
ceive ye the Holy Ghost" &c. John 20:21-23. 
The gift belongs to the church as a body 
(cf . Westcott) and has never been removed. 

REV. Wm. ARNOLD STEVENS, D. D., PROFESSOR 
OP NEW TESTAMENT EXEGESIS IN ROCH- 
ESTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 
ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

1. No scriptural authority whatever. 

2. The passages which are "out of sym- 
pathy with the ordination of woman" are 
I Cor. 14:34-36; I Cor. 11:2-16 and I Tim. 

2:8-15. 



166 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

3. No existing circumstances or condi- 
tions have deprived the main principles laid 
down in the New Testament of their au- 
thority. 

4. It is not desirable. 

REV. J. W. A. STEWART, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, ROCHESTER, N.Y. 

1. None. 2. I Tim. 2:11-14. 
3. No. 4. No. 

REV. AUGUSTUS H. STRONG, D. D., PRESIDENT 

OF ROCHESTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 

ROCHESTER, N. Y. 

There is no scriptural authority, but so 
far as scripture goes, the argument is de- 
cidedly against it. I Tim. 2:12 gives Paul's 
view. This might he a teaching adapted to 
then existing conditions, like silence and 
long hair; but woman's physical constitution 
and the necessity, for her health, of periods 
of quiet and seclusion, seem to indicate a 
permanent unfitness. I do not think it ad- 
visable for a council to advise a woman's 
ordination. 

REV. F. P. STODDARD, PASTOR OF THE 

STRONG PLACE BAPTIST CHURCH, 

BROOKLYN, N. Y. 

1. I know of no passages in the script- 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 167 

ures which in any way refer to the ordina- 
tion of woman to the ministry. 

2. The fact that the scriptures appear al- 
ways to assume that the preacher is a man, 
to my mind gives ground for a strong as- 
sumption that the question did not arise in 
the early days among the Apostles. I Tim. 
3:1-2. 

3. I believe it is best for us as Baptists to 
adhere to our creed — the New Testament. 
Holding as we do that it contains no unnec- 
essary truth and that it embodies all essen- 
tial truth. Eev. 22:18-19. 

4. No! 

REV. A. E. WAFFLE, D. D., PASTOR OF THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, ALBION, N. Y. 

1. None. Cases like those of Miriam and 
Deborah might justify women in preaching 
under extraordinary circumstances, but not 
their ordination. 

2. Yes. I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-13. 
I think these passages refer not to partici- 
pation in social religious meetings but to 
preaching. 

3. No. Women ought to be wives and 
mothers (I Tim. 5 :14 and many other pas- 



168 THE ORDINATION OP WOMAN. 

sages), and that function is inconsistent 
with the pastorate. 

4. No. 

REV. HENRY B. WARRING, PASTOR OF THE 
BAPTIST CHURCH, CARMEL, N. Y. 

1. There are no scriptural passages which 
authorize the ordination of women. 

2. I Cor. 14:34-35 and I Tim. 2:11-12 are 
out of sympathy with such ordination. 

3. Because of these scriptures, which, to 
my mind, are conclusive, I anwer No to 
your third question. Changed circumstanc- 
es are not to determine such ordination. 

4. As a logical result of the preceeding, I 
must answer No to your fourth question. 
It is not desirable for a council to advise 
such ordination. 

REV. W. B. WALLACE, PASTOR OF THE TAB- 
ERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH, UTICA, N. Y. 

I know of no passages that would teach 
the setting apart of women to the special 
work of the gospel ministry. 

Eead "Woman's Place and Work" in 
"Philosophy and Eeligion" by Dr. Strong, 
and find my views expressed on woman's 
sphere. 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 169 

REV. GEO. WHITMAN, D. D., PASTOR OF THE CE- 
DAR ST. BAPTIST CHURCH, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

1. I know of no such authority. 

2. Yes! The fact that the priests were 
men only, in the Old Testament times. The 
fact that the New Testament recognizes 
men only in the sacred office. 

Note: This does not prevent women from 
' 'prophesying' '- telling the gospel. Ordina- 
tion to the ministry implies control and 
leadership. The Bible denies this to the 
woman. It does not deny to her the right 
of speaking in public. The kernel of what 
St. Paul says in I Tim. 2:11-14 is the recog- 
nition of the leadership of the man. He is 
to be the leader in religious government. 
If the pastor's office were that of preaching 
only, I should not have much objection to 
women's ordination. It is mainly an office 
of authority and control. 

3. The non-ordination of women is not 
based on temporal conditions. It is based 
on a principle that no changed conditions 
can affect. 

4. It is not only not desirable for a coun- 
cil to advise ordination, but it is a direct 



170 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

violation of scripture precedent and teaching. 

REV. T. J. WHITAKER, PASTOR OP THE BUSH- 
WICK AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH, 
BROOKLYN, N. Y. 

1. I do not find any scripture on the ' 'Bap- 
tist ministry," and I do not find any scrip- 
tural authority for the ordination of wom- 
en to the ministry. 

2. Paul certainly did not favor such 
prominence for women. 

3. Jesus did not send forth women to 
such work and changed circumstances do 
not, in my judgment, argue such an inno- 
vation on the Lord's plans. 

4. Unless the Holy Spirit should reveal 
to me beyond my present understanding of 
the teaching of God's word, I could not ad- 
vise a church to ordain a woman to the 
public ministry. 

REV. W. T. WOTTON, PASTOR OP THE BAP- 
TIST CHURCH, MOUNT MORRIS, N. Y. 

I do not know that we have any script- 
ure dealing specifically with the question of 
the ordination of women to the ministry, 
that is — that they shall or shall not be thus 
set apart as ministers of Jesus Christ. I am 



THE SYMPOSIUM. 171 

aware that Paul's injunction concerning the 
silence of women in church, is often quot- 
ed in argument against their holding this 
honored office; but it has always seemed to 
me that he was dealing with the peculiar 
conditions of the church of his time, and 
not laying down a fundamental principle to 
govern the action of the church in future 
ages. The circumstances and conditions 
are vastly different now. We are anxious 
to have our sisters testify in prayer meet- 
ing, why not have them preach? I have 
never wanted to take the responsibility of 
closing a sister's mouth, if she felt called 
upon to speak or preach for her Lord. It 
was hearing a woman pray in public that 
removed the gag Satan had kept on me for 
months after my conversion, and led me to 
take part in public meetings. 

We conclude women are included among 
those to heed the Great Commission, and 
our Missionary Society sends them out "to 
preach the gospel to the whole creation," 
why not then ordain them, as we do their 
brethren ? And if this be determined upon, 
it would seem to be (whether for home or 
foreign work,) best to follow the regular 



172 THE ORDINATION OF WOMAN. 

and accepted order — upon the advice of a 
council. 






1899 



v 















' 



80 




din a t i onof womeQOhung 






. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 181 115 8 



